Iron Family
by Dragon Reader 98
Summary: At age 22. Tony Stark wasn't just the CEO of Stark Industries, but he had become a father due to a one night stand, with a woman he doesn't even remember. He takes in his daughter and raises her to the best of his abilities. He reckons he raised a function adult of society, thank you very much. Unknowing to him it probably helped that his daughter had another life, before this one.
1. Stark Heir

Disclaimed: I do not own any superheros that belong to Marvel. I do however own, my OC.

Note: Yes there is an OC. If you don't like oc's at all, than please just give it a chance. I would also like to thank my beta, EllaoftheOpera whom has been, putting up with me for a while now. Any who, read, enjoy and reviews would always be lovely. No flames please.

Pairing: Peter Parker x OC (later on)

* * *

"Sit still, dear," May Parker ordered sweetly as she fussed and moved the cloth in her hand towards the speck of dirt on the nose of the young lady in front of her.

Hazel Stark was the daughter of Tony Stark. She was no stranger to the Parkers since she had been best friends with Peter Parker from diapers. So it was really no surprise when the girl walked into the apartment with Peter in tow. It also wasn't a surprise to see said girl covered in bruises from another fight at school.

That didn't stop May from gasping at the sight and running towards the first aid kit before anyone could even say her name. Ben, on the other hand, was at the kitchen table reading the newspaper. He glanced up and shook his head in disapproval before going back to reading the paper (knowing that his wife had things covered).

The young Stark didn't know what all the fuss was about. Peter had been asking nonstop if she was okay after every step they took, and the next thing she knew May had practically jumped out of nowhere and tackled her to the couch in the living room. That was why she didn't go home to Stark Tower. She knew that there was a long and boring lecture waiting for her from Pepper and Tony, who would roll threats off his tongue about how he was going to ensure the person responsible was going to find themselves with no job for as long they lived. She did not need that.

"Honestly, young men these days. Don't they know how to look after a woman?"

"To be fair, I did punch first," Hazel admitted.

May placed both of her hands on her hips.

From the kitchen door frame, she could see Ben staring disapprovingly at her.

Peter was minding his own business, but this didn't stop him from casting worried glances at his friend as he switched the channel on the television. He stopped on a news channel.

"Hazel, you're on TV again," Peter called out.

May passed the young Stark an ice bag, which had been sitting on the nearby coffee table beforehand. Hazel placed the ice bag over her now bruised eye and turned her head to face the TV. There she was, true to Peter words, facing Flash Thompson. She was wearing the clothes she was known best for: a short-sleeved red vest, a long-sleeved black AC/DC shirt, and a pair of jeans. Her long black hair was tied back in a ponytail.

That wasn't all the clip had shown. It had shown her uppercutting one Flash Thompson in the face. She smiled.

"Hazel Stark, daughter of Tony Stark, has been in another school fight. It happened earlier this morning at Midtown High."

The world was against her because they had to show the scene where she punches first. She blinked and arched an eyebrow, leaning forward, and noticed Peter Parker standing next to her with a panicked look, trying and failing to hold her back.

"Hey Peter," she smiled, pointing to his very pale onscreen counterpart. "You're in the shot."

"Peter," May said, crossing her arms. "What were you doing there, standing around? You know what Hazel's like."

"Give the boy a break May." Ben's voice was heard from the kitchen. "Peter knows what she's like. That's why he's standing out of the way."

May wasn't impressed. Hazel said something in mumbles, as she had a handful of popcorn in her mouth.

"I'm sorry dear, what did you say?"

"She said she was defending my honor," Peter quietly muttered.

May blinked, completely lost, and turned to her nephew. Hazel, on the other hand, cheered and pointed at her friend, while he burrowed his head in his hands. She swallowed.

"Flash started it," She told them. "He said something about Peter being a loser. He started to give him a list of reasons why as well, like why Peter should be doing his homework. I thought he was annoying so I punched him in the nose."

"It was the jaw," Peter corrected. "You punched him in the jaw."

"I was aiming for the nose," she muttered. "Not my fault he's taller than me."

The apartment door opened. She turned and raised an eyebrow: her father had entered, holding a bag of groceries. Peter was standing up by then and Hazel stood up as well. She placed a hand on her forehead.

"The world is coming to an end," she said dramatically. Luckily, Peter had noticed she was falling and was quick enough to catch her before she landed on the ground.

"I'm not that bad," Tony protested. "I'll have you know I cooked before you were born."

Ever so slowly, Peter let her down to the ground and she landed with a light flop.

"Kiddo," he said in a serious tone, "you're grounded."

Tony walked away. Peter watched as Hazel's honey brown eyes widened and her face went pale.

"Grounded?" she hissed, quickly getting up to her feet. "Why am I grounded?"

She made a dash for the kitchen and noticed that May and Ben were already preparing themselves. Tony placed the food on the bench and arched an eyebrow at her. Peter followed.

"School fight, remember?" he whispered into her ear.

"I was hoping dad would forget about that."

"Well that," Tony pointed out, "and for the fact that you called me a horrible cook. Can you believe that? My own daughter insulted me."

Her head goes down in shame, failing to mention that whenever Tony cooks, something either goes boom, catches on fire, or isn't even cooked to begin with. Hazel had come up with the theory that her father got carried away and believed that he was in his own lab and not the kitchen. There were times when May and Ben had both tried to teach the billionaire how to cook. Both of them had utterly failed. Instead, May tried to teach Hazel how to cook, in the hopes that the girl would learn something. Unless the Starks can somehow get Pepper involved, it's mostly Hazel herself cooking in the kitchen. According to Obadiah, her father had mainly survived on coffee, alcohol, smoothies, and take out before she had come along.

"Do you ever get the feeling that Uncle Ben and Tony have a betting pool?" Peter suddenly asked.

Hazel blinked and turned her head. "You haven't hit your head, have you?" she asked, concerned at the sudden question.

Peter shrugged. "No. It's just that one time during the night, Uncle Ben was on the phone, and he was talking to Tony. Something about, and I quote, 'Okay, I may have been wrong. You get my fifty dollars tomorrow, but Tony, it doesn't look that good for you either'."

"Did he mention our names?"

Peter nodded. "Yup," he said, popping out the p.

"Huh."

They stood in comfortable silence, watching May order both men to leave the kitchen because they were taking up space and because Tony had already caught something on fire.

* * *

If she told anyone, the press would have a field day. Scientists would be skeptical, but superheroes, on the other hand, would most likely accept it. After all, when one fights alongside demigods, defends earth from an alien invasion, and gets bitten by a radioactive spider, then who knows. Reincarnation might be very much accepted in this world. Still, by the end of the day, it would no doubt fly over her father's head, until all the odd things she had done as a child click. Then they could move on with their lives.

But still, it was better safe than sorry. Maybe she's a coward for not telling anyone, but she's more than happy to take this little detail to her grave. Her name is Hazel Maria Stark. It wasn't always Hazel and she wasn't always a Stark, but she is now. It's a complicated matter to discuss, one where she spent at least a year as a baby either mourning over her own loss or in denial, trying to believe that the thing was just a horrible nightmare. She gives her father a clap on the back whenever she thinks about the many nights she had spent crying over the fact that she should be very much dead, or at least living with people she knew and not this strange man who was trying to take care of her.

It's quite ironic when one thinks about it. Being reborn into a world that will be soon be known for its superheroes after she had been hit by a car, saving another life in the process. Was it worth it? Yes, it was. Hazel would not regret that decision. She had come to the conclusion that she was a Stark and thankfully not a character from Game of Thrones. Her grandfather, who been dead for a while now, was Howard Stark himself, which made her Tony Stark's daughter before the events of the first Iron Man film.

Even with all this knowledge, it didn't stop Hazel from wanting to live as a hermit or at least move as far away from New York as possible. Tony was always surprisingly encouraging about her dreams for the future, but she had a feeling that even living as a hermit would be too much for him to take. Well, if he wasn't allowed to build her a home with internet access and maybe an AI to go with it, then she was sure that Tony would disapprove with the idea of her being a hermit.

So yes, sixteen years ago Hazel Maria Stark was born into the world, with big honey brown eyes and a gummy smile to boot. Looking back now, Hazel really hated the idea of being reborn into the world of superheroes because Marvel was known for its multiple worlds, and with multiple worlds came multiple timelines. Hazel only really knew one timeline that well, which was the film timeline, and she could guess even now, with Peter Parker as the same age as her and growing up to be her best friend. Hazel is pretty damn sure that isn't the world she was brought into, but this doesn't stop her.

Hazel has a goal and that goal is to protect her family of Tony, her father, and Peter, her best friend, in any way she can. And if anyone says anything otherwise, she will kick and scream until her throat runs dry. So yes, she is Hazel Maria Stark, and she has lived before.

* * *

Another day passed and life moved on. It was a pretty common fact that Hazel and Peter were friends from diapers. No joke, they were. With her dad being the CEO of Stark Industries, he often found someone to babysit her. Rhodes popped his head in when he could, but was still fairly busy, what with him being in the military. Obadiah prefers not to be in the same room as her. Ever since she could talk she had said he was a 'bad person,' tearing the head off her doll, all the while pointing at him. It didn't help that from the moment her vision had evolved she'd glare at him. If he was in the same room as her father, she glared at him. Tony tries not to notice this and Obadiah has tried to stay away from her from the moment she kicked his knee when she was five.

Tony had connections, and it didn't surprise her to know that somebody Tony must have known knew Ben Parker at the time. He must have heard mention of the man and his wife raising their nephew and Tony, wanting her to have friends her own age, had made arguments. It also didn't help that up until that point that any pointless play dates spent with Hazel often involved her sleeping through them. Most toddlers had decided to do something else after the first five times she ignored them.

Then Peter had come along. He poked and poked and poked, waiting until he got a response. He got one alright: a glare. Peter wasn't affected by it and now they were here. They had been best friends since they could talk and Peter was still poking her.

Class was about to start any moment now and Peter was trying (failing, but trying) to wake her up. Classes were boring to her. She wondered what a picture of this scene would look like: a classroom full of teens, one Stark heir in the middle row, head flopped down on the desk with light snores able to be heard, with Peter poking her shoulder all the while, telling her that she really should get up now.

"Five more minutes," she mumbled, trying to move away from the annoyance.

"What was that, Miss Stark?"

She choked on air and on her black hair as she lifted up her head and stared at the teacher looming over her. Peter had stopped poking her now and looked weary as he kept to himself, his eyes darting back and forth between the pair.

"Oh it's you," she quietly commented.

It wasn't quiet enough. Peter must have heard it, after all, it was his hand slapping his own face that she heard.

"Miss Stark."

It shouldn't be a surprise that she got detention.

* * *

Note: Chapter 2, will be up some time next week. Fav or follow, if you want to keep up to date. Reviews are always welcome. Cheers.


	2. Oscorp

Thanks to the reviews, favs and follows. To the second Guest that had written the review, this fic Peter Parker is based on The Amazing Spider Man 2012. There will however be a couple of quotes from the 2002 version of Spider Man, later during the story.

Chapter Summary: It wasn't like the tour through Oscorp was boring or anything. Its just that Peter had wounder away from the group, the moment Hazel went of to buy a lab coat.

Beta: EllaoftheOpera (Thanks for the time.)

* * *

A week had passed. Hazel couldn't help but laugh every time Peter walked by Gwen with his big puppy dog eyes. He'd gotten it bad, she could tell, but, Peter being Peter, he didn't have it in him to ask her out. He'd also stopped Hazel from talking to the girl multiple times after she informed him that she was going to get the pair together. Peter didn't need that embarrassment. So now, with it being a Sunday, the pair were walking towards the Genetics laboratory. Tony had managed to get them free passes for the tour group was going to start later that day. They were walking through the streets of New York, with Hazel slightly ahead of Peter. She was walking backward and humming.

"Dad invited you to the charity event next Friday," she told him casually, hands in her pocket.

"I don't need to wear a suit, do I?"

She arched an eyebrow, tilting her head to the side. "No, it's casual. But I won't be going to school on Wednesday."

This was new, Peter thought as he blinked rapidly. "Why's that?"

"Dad won another award. He's going to Vegas. He keeps boasting about how he's getting a new paperweight. Obadiah wants me to go with him, to make sure dad actually attends the ceremony doesn't ditch at last the minute."

Peter snorted. Tony was never one to like award ceremonies. He either passed the awards along to some random person or used them as some sort of household object. One time, Tony had snuck one into Hazel's room and labeled it "early Christmas present". Hazel's expression had been one of disbelief before it turned into a frown. She then returned it back to her father, leaving it in the lab with the label "enjoy it, from Hazel". They played this game, going back and forth for a while between father and daughter before the name tag on the reward had become unreadable. Eventually, Aunt May had found it in the living room laying on a coffee table one day. She had then lectured both of them about taking care of their stuff properly.

Once they got to the laboratory, they showed their passes and joined the group. Hazel grinned and gestured to Gwen, who was leading the group.

"The world is against me," Peter mumbled.

"That's my line," Hazel teased, her honey brown eyes looking around. "Don't you think lab coats are cool?"

Peter turned to his friend and raised an eyebrow.

"I think they're cool, but dad won't let me have one. He says they're uncool and that we're Starks. Starks are meant to be cool."

Peter rolled his eyes. Sometimes Hazel's meaning for the word "cool" was just odd. He remembered one time, when they were little, that Hazel wanted to show him something "cool". It was a hummingbird, of all things.

"Think they'd let me buy one?"

"Welcome to Oscorp. My name is Gwen Stacy. I'm a senior at Midtown Science and I'm Doctor Connors's head intern. I'll be with you for the duration of your time here today. Where I go, you go. It's a basic rule. If you can remember that, you'll be fine."

A doctor walked in the direction of the group, his right arm missing. Hazel leaned forward and whispered to Peter.

"That's Dr. Curtis Connors. He's famous for his work. Even dad's impressed by his papers."

"Welcome. My name is Dr. Curtis Connors. And yes, in case you're wondering, I'm a southpaw." He chuckled at this. "I'm not a cripple, I'm a former scientist and the world's foremost authority on herpetology. That's reptiles, for those of you who don't know. But like the Parkinson's patient who watches in horror as her body slowly betrays her or the man with macular degeneration who's eyes grow dimmer each day, I long to fix myself. I want to create a world without weakness. Anyone care to venture a guess how?"

Hazel rolled her eyes. Another person with a big ego. Still, she wondered if she could sneak away from the group, hack into the systems, and buy a lab coat. She really wanted a lab coat. Peter must have noticed her eyes wandering about because he held onto her arm to make sure she didn't leave, much to her disappointment.

"Stem cells?" A boy at the front called out.

"Promising," Connors nods. "But the solution I'm thinking of is far more radical. What do you think it could be?"

"Cross-species genetics," Hazel ended up saying.

Peter nodded beside her, causing most of the group to turn around to face them.

"A person gets Parkinson's when the brain cells that produce dopamine starts to disappear," Peter told him.

"But the zebrafish has the ability to regenerate cells on command," Hazel said next.

"If you can somehow give that ability to the woman you're talking about, then she's curing herself," Peter grinned triumphantly.

Peter and Hazel had been around one another long enough to be able to finish one another's sentences. They both knew each other well, from nightmares to worse fears. It sometimes pained Hazel not to tell him about her rebirth situation.

The doctor was impressed by the pair. "And you two are?"

"They're here for the tour, Doctor." Gwen saved the pair. "Peter Parker is the best of the brightest at Midtown High. He's 2nd in the class."

"I see. And the girl?"

"Hazel," Hazel told him bluntly.

"Hazel Stark," Gwen elaborated. "She's top of the class at Midtown Science."

Peter winced in sympathy as Hazel groaned. She was always compared to her father and called "Stark Disappointment" by the press because she hadn't shown the same potential as her father or her grandfather. It's why she normally introduces herself as her first name and never her full name. It didn't help that the group they were in were mumbling with awe.

"Stark's daughter," she heard one of them say.

"A Stark," the doctor boasted and then chuckled fondly. "Well, I'll be. First place at that. Well done, Miss Stark." he turned to Peter. "And you're Peter Parker. I've heard a lot about the both of you in the press. First though, no offense Miss Stark, but the way the press calls you the 'Stark Disappointment,' I was afraid you showed a lack of potential."

"None taken, doctor." There was a forced smile on Hazel part.

Gwen threw an apologetic look over her way and Hazel nodded in understanding before the group walked off. She clung to Peter's arm as they did.

"I'm going to buy a lab coat," she said suddenly.

"Will they let -"

It was too late. Hazel was already wandering away from the group and Peter was too slow to do anything about it. He noticed Gwen glancing their way and Peter stood up straight with a small smile, trying to act like nothing was going on. Whether or not Gwen noticed was a different story, because she went back to the job at hand. Peter eyes scanned the area and noticed that Hazel was far away from the group, talking to one of the scientists. Peter shrugged his shoulders and decided that she could look after herself, but he couldn't shake the feeling that he had just jinxed himself.

* * *

In hindsight, Peter should have worried more about himself and not Hazel, because it wasn't long before he was the one walking away from the group, and he had managed to get bitten by a spider. Luckily, nobody seemed to notice he was missing as he hurried back to the group, stretching his arm. There was no sign of Hazel, though. He turned around and jumped a little at the sight behind him. Hazel was standing next to him. She had a lollipop in her mouth and was wearing a lab coat, which looked horrible on her since her bright red vest was underneath, and she wore a pair of safety goggles on her head.

"Why?" he whined.

"Can you believe it? The coat was only fifty bucks. How cool is that?" she said, not bothering to address his question.

Peter felt his eye twitch and wondered why on earth they were friends.

"So what did I miss?" she asked.

Peter had stopped stretching his arm and cleared his throat. She turned to him with a questioning look.

"I wasn't the only person sneaking off, was I?"

"No," he told her quietly, and she nodded in understanding.

She popped the lollipop out of her mouth and Peter continued to stretch his arm.

"I probably shouldn't eat in a lab."

"No, you really shouldn't."

Hazel looked around, but there were no bins nearby. She raised an eyebrow and, ever so slowly, placed the lollipop down on the ground, kicking it under the nearest table. Peter stared at her, eyes widening.

"Hazel!" he hissed.

"What?" she asked casually. "Next time, they should put bins in this place."

Peter's jaw dropped at Hazel's calm expression before he let out a sigh. Little did they know that the lollipop had been kicked a little too hard and now sat in the middle of the walkway. One scientist let out a scream as she slipped over the unwrapped candy. Another scientist went to help his coworker and stared at the lollipop, wondering where it had come from. Peter's eyes were wide at the scene. His head turned back as he kept walking forward.

Hazel covered his eyes with her hands and helped him catch up with the group. "Just keep walking, walking, walking," she sang.

The group stopped then, and Gwen turned around. Hazel removed her hand from Peter's eyes. He was now looking forward, after giving Hazel a disapproving stare.

"I'm afraid this is the end of the tour. Thank you all for visiting. If you have any questions then you're more than welcome to stay and ask."

Peter decided it was probably best to leave. He took his friend's arm and power-walked out the door. Hazel's free arm was casually waving goodbye to the group.

Gwen thought the pair were very strange.

* * *

Peter was acting strangely. It probably had something to do with his new super quick reflexes and the fact that he had suddenly found himself sticking to walls. It also didn't help that when Hazel was away Flash had started a fight with him over the smallest of things and the bruises on his face didn't fade before Hazel and her father got back to New York.

Hazel had found out. She went to school the next day and punched Flash in the face because of it. Which led Peter here, sighing as he tried to convince her not to fight the other guy. Her face was now badly bruised, but she went on like it didn't bother her. Most of the students were gathered around them, and some were chanting, "fight, fight, fight," over and over again. Hazel had pinned Flash on the floor, her knee sticking into his back and her arm pulling back one of his own. The teen was in pain, but Hazel wasn't giving up.

"What do you say, Thompson?" she asked, her eyes narrowed.

"I'm not saying anything, Stark!" he protested. "Shit!" he yelled, as Hazel pulled the bigger boy 's arm farther back.

"Say it," she ordered.

"This really isn't necessary, Hazel," Peter said quietly.

"Shut up, Parker!" both Flash and Hazel shouted.

Peter jumped back a little and began to twiddle his thumbs. Hazel spat on the ground nearby, and Peter didn't like the look of the blood that was now there.

"I said say it!" she ordered again.

Flash look defeated. "Okay, okay! Gee Stark, you can't take a joke."

"A joke?" she questioned, rage noticeable in her voice.

She twisted his arm and Flash winced in pain.

"Is this a joke?" she asked. "You bashed a guy because he bumped into you. Is this a joke? Huh Thompson, is it?"

"No, Stark! Let go!"

"Miss Stark, Mr. Thompson, what on earth are you two doing?!"

'Oh thank God' Peter thought, at the voice of the teacher.

Well, teachers, since there were at least five of them looming above the pair. Both had stopped fighting but hadn't moved from their spots. Peter winced. Hazel had a badly split lip and bruises over her eyes. Flash was just as bad.

The teachers had managed to break the pair apart. Both stood in front of one another, glaring, with hate clear as day in their eyes. Hazel wiped away the blood that was dripping from her lip and spat again at the ground. Something must have happened, because they both leaped forward at one another, going for each other throats. However, the teachers were there to pull them back, and Peter helped by restraining Hazel.

"What, are you a bodyguard now, Stark? Guess it's the only thing you're good for. Daddy's probably ashamed to have a daughter like you. Stark's little burden," he teased.

"That's enough, you two. Miss Stark, with me. Mr. Thompson, you're in just as much trouble."

Flash was being dragged away from the girl by the other teachers, so he didn't see Hazel eyes widen with a flash of sadness. It was no secret that the press had shown their dislike for the young Stark, insulting her name and telling her that she was a disappointment, a shame on the Stark name, because she was still in high school and they automatically believed that her IQ was nothing like her fathers.

It was also no secret that Flash and Hazel loathed one another. Their rivalry wasn't bad at the start of high school. Flash mainly verbally teased Peter back then and Hazel countered back. But as the pair got older, Hazel was the first to throw a punch after seeing him physically attack Peter one day. The pair hated each other and it was well-known.

* * *

"Look at me. I'm a mess."

They were sitting in the football stands. Peter was going through his camera. Hazel had covered her eye with an ice bag and her lip with a cold compress. She wasn't as bad as Flash though. The boy had to be taken to the hospital for a broken arm. She was so in trouble once she got home. Especially since Tony had to cut a meeting short to get to the school and was now talking to the principal about her behavior.

Peter glanced at his friend and then went back to his photos. "You're not that bad," he told her.

She was too sore to raise an eyebrow at him. "I might be suspended, or worse, grounded."

He shook his head. Only Hazel would think being grounded was worse than being suspended.

"You don't know what it's like, stuck with Pepper, watching her fill out paperwork like it's the best thing in the world."

Peter listened on, but he could sense something wrong was about to happen. Skeptical at best, his eyes trailed upwards and watched the football team that was practicing on the field.

"... and then May is going to give me a long lecture. Don't even get me started on Uncle Rhodes, he always finds out about these types of things. And I won't be allowed in the lab-"

She was cut off, barely able to get out of the way in time, as a football came right towards her. Shit. She was going to die again, she just knew it. However, instead of falling over and cracking her skull on the ground, the ball was caught in mid-air. She blinked slowly, her eyes trailing over to Peter. He had caught the ball.

So it had happened, she thought.

"That's new," she comments.

The ball was still in Peter's hands as he nodded.

"Yeah."

"Hazel!" They turned toward Tony's voice, his hands in his pocket and a pair of sunglasses on his face. "We're going home. Say goodbye to Peter, kiddo."

Her face fell as Tony walked away. "I was right, I'm suspended," she sang. Peter rolled his eyes. "See you around, and I'll call tonight about this." She gestured to him and quickly dashed after her father, leaving Peter alone.

* * *

Hazel was suspended, and so was Flash. She kept her promise though and rang Peter later that night. Tony wasn't that strict with her. He knew the reason why she got into fights, especially with Flash Thompson. He did take away a couple of privileges though, like no lab for a week, and he had her help Pepper with her work, much to Hazel's disappointment. So here she was, in the kitchen, late at night. Tony was working in the lab and she was cooking herself up some popcorn in the microwave. Peter told her everything about how he snuck away from the group, managed to find himself in a room full of spiders, and had started to form a very odd, very strange set of skills.

Hazel didn't lie, she couldn't remember the timeline of Spiderman that well. She might have when she was an infant, but as she grew older her memories of her old life were slowly fading. She could remember small details, like good times or bad times with her old family. However, the superhero timeline that she did remember was fading. She knew that Afghanistan was a key point in Tony's life, as it caused him to turn over a new leaf. But she had beaten it to the chase. Tony had taken her in and cared for her. Her mother had left her, but the world thinks she passed away from childbirth, despite the fact that the woman was very much alive. So yes, Tony had changed. It's why Afghanistan worried her even to this day. She didn't want it to happen and he didn't deserve for it to happen.

Which brings her back to Peter. So many reboots, so many timelines, and she can't remember what was and wasn't important. And now that he has his powers and proved that yes, he is soon to be Spider-Man, what is going to happen to him? Can she save him from that pain? Will she be able to save him from that pain?

She doesn't know, and she hates how she doesn't know.

"Hazel? Are you there? Hazel?"

She blinked, snapping out of her thoughts, and dropped the handful of popcorn into her bowl.

"Um ... what?" she asked, rubbing her hand over her jeans.

"You alright? You zoned out for a moment."

Oh yes, I'm perfectly fine, just thinking about every bad thing that's going to happen to you in your life from now on, she thought sarcastically.

"Y-yeah ... yeah." She shook her head. "Yep, I'm fine, why do you ask?"

If they weren't on the phone, she would have seen Peter raising an eyebrow.

"You sure you're alright?"

She rolled her eyes.

"I'm fine. Just tired, you know? Been in a fight and everything today, it really takes a toll." She faked a yawn.

"If you say so." Peter didn't sound very convinced and Hazel didn't blame him.

"Anyway, I should be going to bed. It's late, really late. Night Peter, have fun at school tomorrow without me."

"Sure. Night, Hazel."

Pressing the red button on her cell, she sighed and breathed in.

"J, tell dad I'm off to bed."

"Very well. Good night, Miss Stark."

"Night, J."

And with that, she walked into her room, quickly did her night routine and pulled the covers over her. Sometimes she wished she didn't have her past life memories at all. Everything would be so much easier.

* * *

Thanks for everyone who takes the time to read this story, reviews are always welcomed, feel free to fav or follow.


	3. Four Grown Up's & People Watching

Disclaimed: I do not own any of the Avengers characters. I do however own my OC.

Beta: EllaoftheOpera (Thanks for a second pair of eyes.)

Chapter summary: It's not every day, one sees James Rhodes, Tony Stark, Ben and May Parker walking the streets together. Discussion about betting pools, listing appearance and plaining how he should have killed that kid from birth. All in all, it's actually a pretty normal day when the Starks and the Parkers get together.

* * *

Contrary to popular belief, Peter Parker has other friends besides Hazel Stark and he does hang out with them on occasion. Well, his friend list isn't that big really, but he does have other friends. Honest, he does. One of them is Harry Osborn. He first met Harry when they were eight. Hazel and Tony were going to one of Osborn's balls. Hazel at eight years old did not like fancy parties and would rather have stayed home or locked herself in her father's lab.

Tony wasn't much help at the time either. After Pepper had managed to drag both of them there, Hazel had somehow ended up dragging Peter along for the ride. Eight-year-old Peter had never been to a charity event or a fancy ball and was quite nervous about the ordeal. However, once Tony had heard of this, he had insisted on taking the young boy shopping for a suit and wouldn't accept Aunt May's or Uncle Ben's money. And so, Peter and Hazel went.

It was rather boring. In fact, Peter was sure that Tony was sleeping behind his sunglasses at one point. Peter himself stood behind Hazel and pretty much used the girl as a human shield. It helped since Hazel kept glaring at anybody that dared to walk past them. Harry Osborn was brave enough to talk to the pair. Young Harry had an 'I'm cooler than you' air about him. Hazel didn't like that air, so she hit him on the head.

No joke, she hit him on the head. Well, it was more of a punch than anything else. There was no reason for it. Harry was not in the wrong whatsoever. Hazel just hit him and told him to go away. Like any eight-year-old kid that had just gotten hit, rich father or not, Harry had run away crying. Hazel was grounded that night.

Peter had not run into Harry since then. He was fine with that, and Hazel seemed to have forgotten all about the boy. It wasn't until high school had started that Peter learned that Harry spent his time following her.

It was kind of creepy, knowing that one was being followed, but Hazel Stark was never alone. Tony was a very overprotective father and if Hazel was out on the street and somebody thought it was a good idea to rob the young Stark there would be a platoon of bodyguards popping out of nowhere in an instant. This was, of course, if Hazel hadn't beaten and punched the thug into the ground first (Tony doesn't know where his daughter gets her anger from).

Tony does, however, know that young Harry had been following his daughter about for some time. This is only because the guards had told him that they often dragged the boy away. Peter knows this because Harry has had a crush on Hazel for a while now. It was a silly childhood crush and it was only in high school that it had evolved into something more.

However, meeting Harry up close again didn't necessarily guarantee a friendly welcome. See, up until now, Harry had gotten anything he wanted, when he wanted it. Hazel was a different story. When Harry had asked her out she had said no, and this brings Peter in. Peter was a bullying target and still is today. He knows this. Hazel often joked that he wouldn't survive high school without her. But up until now, Peter often spent his time with Hazel. She was the only one who would notice him. In fact, she could have ditched him when she wanted to, but she had stuck by Peter through thick and thin. Harry noticed this.

Jealousy can do a lot to people and Harry was no different. Seeing the girl he liked hanging around someone who was known to come from a poor or nobody family was an insult in and of itself. So, naturally, Harry had spent most of his first year of high school taunting Peter. Hazel, being the overprotective friend she is known for, noticed this and had often, if not loudly, told Harry to leave them alone.

However, people can change, and at some point or another Harry had as well. Harry might have been a prick back then, but he wasn't a big enough prick to leave Peter alone in the hands of Flash Thompson, who was a lot worse than Harry. Hazel took a sick day that day. When Peter was in the position of 'nearly fallen over dead on the spot' and unable to defend himself, Harry had come to his aid. It was in the nurse's office where the two boys got to know each other a bit better and Harry had apologized for his past behavior.

It was in the same week when Hazel came back to school and found out about everything. She glared at Flash all day long, but she had hugged Harry Osborn. Peter laughed when the Osborn heir turned red as a cherry. She thanked him for helping Peter out and life moved on.

Which brings Peter here. Years may have passed, but Harry's love for Hazel was still there. He had a rose in his hand and was about to ask her out. Again. God knows how many times he'd tried this year. Peter stared. Hazel hated roses.

"She hates roses," he said bluntly.

"It's a white rose," Harry told him.

It was indeed a white rose. Last week it had been a red rose.

"It's a rose," Peter said, speaking as slow as possible so Harry would understand. "She hates roses."

Harry was about to speak, but Peter cut him off.

"If you say 'but it's a white rose' and then ask her out again, she will ignore you. Then I'll tell you 'I told you so'."

Harry frowned and Peter glared.

It was here Hazel walked past them. Harry followed after her and Peter started counting on his fingers. He got to five when a sulking Harry returned. He was sure that the white rose itself had bent down in defeat.

"She ignored you, didn't she?"

Harry nodded his head. Now, Peter is a bloke that normally isn't out to prove another guy wrong, but he wasn't able to hold back his smug smile.

"Don't say it!" Harry is quick to buy time.

"I told you so."

Harry facepalmed. There's always plan B, and tomorrow he could bring in a pink rose.

* * *

It's a mystery, at least in Gwen's eyes, as she watched how Hazel Stark leaned casually on Peter's shoulders and how the young Parker seemed not to mind the girl. It's a mystery how the pair got along so well with each other. They seem to be the opposite of one another, one shy and awkward at best, the other reckless and a troublemaker. And yet, the two get along like peas in a pod. If Gwen was a person that listened to rumors, she would have believed the pair to be dating.

However, Gwen knew this wasn't the case. They were just friends who've been through thick and thin. Unlike most, Gwen watches those around her and Peter was the first to catch her eye, mainly because he was being bullied by Flash. Gwen would've stepped in, at least tried to stop it or prolong the wait until help arrived. But Hazel came in with a battle cry and flung herself at the taller teen.

It's quite a sight to see a billionaire's daughter pop out from down the hall and dash towards a bully.

It's one of the traits that Gwen admired about Hazel. The girl didn't stand for bullies and most certainly did not stand for Flash Thompson. So, as Gwen walked pass a sulking Harry Osborn and a sniggering Peter (she was sure that the young Osborn had a dark cloud around him, soaking him in rain), she ran into Hazel. Hazel wasn't too far from the pair. She appeared to be in her own world, humming about and drawing what appeared to be a picture of Captain America.

Gwen didn't know Hazel could draw and she blinked rapidly at the detail. Hazel wants to run her father's company when she's older (this is well-known), but Gwen's sure she could make money as an artist. America's golden boy stood up straight on the page, standing on a boulder with the flag in the background, his shield in his hand. He appeared to be looking at the sky. Hazel had really gone all out and had even added an eagle soaring above.

"Stacy." Hazel looked up and waved with her free hand.

"Hi. Um, uh... I want to thank you."

Hazel's tongue made a clicking noise and she tilted her head to the side.

"For what?"

Gwen's arm gripped a bit tighter around the book that she's holding.

"Oh ... for being the only one knocking sense into Flash."

"Eh?" Hazel arches an eyebrow.

"Well, not many people stand up to him and it's nice seeing somebody stepping up."

Hazel eyes narrowed. Gwen wondered if she had said something wrong before her face changed into a smile.

"Meh, I don't care what Flash does. Call me a jerk if you may, but my only concern is Peter's wellbeing." She waved her off. "I'm flattered that you would think such a thing. So I guess the least I could say is thank you." She was silent for a moment. "Thank you."

Hazel's head went back down. She turned a page over in her book and started to draw again, but Gwen still wanted to say more.

"It's still nice seeing someone stand up to him, though. Most people just let him get away with it."

Hazel blinked. The blank stare was soon replaced with a grin and Gwen couldn't help but feel a bit nervous about it.

"Hey, Stacy." Her honey brown eyes darted between Peter and Harry before landing back on Gwen. Hazel whispers her next words. "Do you like Peter?"

Gwen chokes on air, blushing at the sudden question.

"Pardon?" she asked. Hazel rolled her eyes.

"Do you like Peter?"

"Um ..."

Where had this question come from? Sure, Gwen didn't mind Peter. He seemed nice enough. Shy and awkward at times, but nice nevertheless. Gwen voiced her thoughts.

"He's alright," she said slowly, her eyes unintentionally darting between Peter and Hazel. "He's alright ... I guess."

Gwen felt her cheeks heat up and she hoped she hadn't blushed. Something must have happened though because Hazel's frown left and once again a grin was on her lips. She rolled her eyes.

"Maybe there's something between you two after all."

Her words seemed to have been more to herself than to Gwen.

"Right. I've decided," Hazel declared, as she placed her notebook to the side and stood up, meeting Gwen height.

"Um, decided what?"

Hazel rolled her eyes again like she was tired of expressing herself. Gwen wasn't too surprised; it was the most she'd heard the Stark heir talk in a day. Normally, Gwen only ever heard Hazel speak when a question was addressed to her or when she was in a fight with Flash. She wasn't very social now that Gwen thought about it, almost as if speaking to her own peers was an everyday chore (Unless it was Peter, and sometimes she saw her speak to Harry).

"I'm taking you dress shopping."

Gwen felt her eyes widen.

Hazel glanced around before clapping her hands over her Gwen's mouth. "Don't tell Peter this though. He'll make sure Pepper finds out. I'm not one for clothes shopping and Pepper normally has to spend hours to convince me."

Gwen was in too much shock to protest, her mind trying to work out how on earth shopping got involved, with Hazel Stark no less.

"Now, when school ends I'm coming over to your house and dragging you to this nice clothing shop. Don't worry about money. I'm buying it."

Hazel slung an arm over Gwen's shoulders. She picked up her notebook and quickly dragged Gwen forward with her. Gwen Stacy found herself walking forward, in a conversation with Hazel herself, unaware that Peter was staring back with an open jaw.

"Were we just ditched?" Harry asked, rubbing his hand over his chin.

"She ditched me," Peter stressed. "Hazel never ditches me."

Harry rolled his eyes and patted Peter on the shoulder.

"And now she's left you all alone, out in the wild."

Peter snapped out of his trance before realizing that Hazel was walking with Gwen.

"And she's walking with Gwen," he pointed out.

"Yeah," Harry nodded his head. "I've noticed."

"She's up to something."

"Why would you think that, Peter?"

Harry didn't get an answer, because Peter had dashed off to God knows where.

"They really need other friends," Harry said out loud, to no one in particular. He glanced down at the flower in his hand. "So let's see, pink roses sound good and yellow roses as well. Maybe I should ask Peter what kind of flowers I should buy her. I'm pretty sure Mr. Stark would kick me out of the tower if I go to him."

* * *

In Stark Tower, Pepper had just stepped into the lab with her hands full of paperwork. Tony noticed this.

"Ms. Potts, do you ever get the feeling that someone is talking about you?"

Pepper blinked and, for a brief moment, wondered if Tony was asking a rhetorical question.

* * *

George Stacy was not having a very good day at all. It had started in the earlier hours of the morning when he forgot to set his alarm clock and slept in. This, in turn, had caused him to be late for work. It only made things worse when he realized he was meant to be in the office for a meeting and walked in a good thirty minutes after it started. There was also a robbery at one of the banks in Queens that he had to deal with. And then, when he finally arrived home again, his wife told him that there was no milk in the fridge, so he had to double back to get said milk. However, the small store down the road had just closed, so he had to go to the mall instead, which was a waste of time and a lot of effort just to get milk.

That was why he was glad he had made it home. His sons were out visiting a friend of theirs and Gwen was up in her room giving him time to sit back and relax. That was until the doorbell rang.

George didn't want to get up, but the doorbell rang again. With a sigh, he turned down the volume on the television and walked towards the door. If it was somebody trying to sell him something he was going to close the door because quite frankly he did not want to deal with anybody for a while. He stared.

There, in front of him, were two people, a male at least his age or a bit younger and a female at least his daughter's age. Her long black hair was tied up into a ponytail. She had a strange sense of fashion that reminded him of Stark's daughter. Bright red vest (which he nearly mistook for a life jacket), long sleeve black t-shirt with the label AC/DC on it, and a pair of jeans. She hadn't noticed that he was at the door yet, texting away on her phone. However, the man in the suit with the sunglasses over his eyes had. George got the feeling that the man was glaring at him.

He was about to open his mouth and ask a couple of questions when the teen stopped texting and placed her phone in her pocket. She looked up at him with big, honey-brown eyes. How strange. For a moment, he thought the daughter of Tony Stark was standing in front of him. The billionaire's daughter was known for her honey brown eyes. George believed that it was a trait that the young girl had gotten from her mother.

"Hello. You must be Mr. Stacy. My name is Hazel and I'm taking your daughter shopping. Don't worry, I'm paying for it and we'll most likely return before sunset. Is this okay, Mr. Stacy?"

She spoke fairly fast and yet still smiled at the end of the sentence. George must have looked like a fool to her because he stood with his eyes narrowed and a stance between the door and the door frame. He hadn't even answered her question yet before he could hear footsteps running down the stairs.

"See you later dad." Gwen stopped in her tracks and looked up at the man next to Hazel.

"This is Happy. He's on babysitter duty," Hazel explained.

"I'm security," Happy protested.

"See? he's a babysitter, but he gets paid more."

Gwen seemed fine with the answer. As for George, he stood still. Security? What did they need security for? His daughter waved goodbye, and just like that the two girls walked away, Happy not far from them. It was only when he closed the door behind him that he realized two things. One, he didn't say it was okay for his daughter to go shopping and two, he was pretty damn sure that was Hazel Stark he was just talking to.

He shook his head. Hazel Stark had nothing to do with his family. He must need more rest than he thought. With this in mind, he sinks into the couch and closes his eyes. A moment later, it all clicks in.

"That really was Hazel Stark," he said to no one in particular.

"Pardon me, dear, what did you say?" his wife calls out from the kitchen.

* * *

Hazel waited in the dress shop, casually putting the dresses that were thrown to the ground back on the hooks. She had managed to talk Gwen into shopping. Of course, it had taken a lot of talking on her part and she felt like she was speaking to a brick wall half the time. She wouldn't say that Gwen was a shy girl. Far from it, In fact, if Hazel had to guess as to what had caused Gwen to be uncomfortable.

It was more likely herself. After all, Hazel sometimes forgets that she is the daughter of Tony Stark. Tony Stark was pretty well-known around the world. It might have been his weapons or the mistakes he had made in the past.

Nevertheless, he was well-known, and she was his daughter. She got over the wow factor a long time ago. Sure, Tony might be a lot of things to a lot of people, but at the end of the day, he was still her father. Sometimes she just forgot her status in this lifetime, since she used to be someone like Gwen is now: a child from a working-class family.

Hazel never knew her father in her past life. He was killed when she was two, and Tony meant everything to her. He was a changed man. Sure, he still makes weapons, but he didn't know that they were being used by terrorists, and as much as Hazel wants to put a stop to it, her father wouldn't believe her. Not without proof. But she still didn't want Afghanistan to happen to him. Hazel sighed.

She can't think about it; there's no point. Sure, she could get rid of Obadiah, but her dad doesn't know what he's dealing with. Plus, she didn't want to be charged with murder. Whether or not she killed anyone to get him out of the picture, the old man wasn't going to back down anytime soon.

So, with a change of thought, her mind goes back to Gwen and Peter's relationship. Between comics, TV shows, and three reboots, Hazel's memory of Gwen and Peter's relationship was the last thing on her mind. However, she does know that, in this life, Peter had been in love with Gwen from the moment he saw her. During the time that Hazel had questioned Gwen, she could tell that Stacy felt the same way. Which brings her to the blind date. Well, a blind date might work for Peter, but that might be a little uncomfortable for Gwen.

"It worked better in my head," Hazel mumbles to herself.

She had to rethink this. How could she get those two together?

* * *

"I got you a blind date."

That was odd in and of itself. Hazel almost tripped over her feet. It was meant to be her line, not Peter's, and yet here they were, sitting in front of the TV in Stark Tower. The two teens hadn't noticed Tony walk into the room and choke on air. He managed to lose his footing and almost slip in the process. However, he was standing in front of the kitchen bench and had used it to hold himself together. His eyes narrowed at the pair as he listened on.

His daughter laughed. It was forced, but she laughed.

"Good one, Peter. I thought you said you set me up on a blind date."

Peter turned his head to face her.

"I'm serious, I did," he said proudly.

"With who?"

"That's the point of a blind date. You're not meant to know."

She glared. Peter was immune and helped himself to the popcorn on the coffee table.

"Fine," Hazel huffed. "I got you a blind date as well."

He choked on his popcorn and Tony choked on air once again.

"With who?"

Hazel snorts.

"That's what a blind date is."

In the background, Tony lost it and slipped on his own two feet, crashing down to the floor. Peter turned around but shrugged his shoulders.

"I thought I heard something."

Hazel arched an eyebrow. "I didn't hear anything."

She moved on. Tony, on the other hand, was wide awake and not at all happy.

* * *

Hazel was not impressed. When she showed up and saw the restaurant, she knew it had to be Harry Osborn. She glared. It wasn't like she disliked Harry. Not at all. Maybe she should apologize for punching him when she was eight. Maybe she should give him a chance. He wasn't a bad-looking bloke. It's just felt odd dating anyone at all. She lost count of the age she was meant to be, but she knew that she should have been a lot older than him. So yes, her rebirth was one of the reasons, she didn't date people, but she sighed.

After all, it was a sad sight, seeing him with his finger in the knot of his tie with a determined frown, trying to remove it. She had taken pity on him and it might come back to haunt her, but she was going to give Harry Osborn a chance.

* * *

"How did I get caught up in this?" May Parker asked, not at all pleased with the men around her.

The scene reminded her of an action movie, where four unlikely heroes have to sneak into enemy territory to either collect information or save one of their own. In this unlikely situation, The group of people weren't heroes, but were instead made up of James Rhodes; May's husband, Ben Parker; and Tony Stark. There was nobody to save and there was no information needed. Unless one were to count the fact that a billionaire was spying on his daughter, merely because the boy she was on a date with didn't even ask him for permission.

If anyone were to ask May, the aunt would think that Tony was just afraid of his daughter growing up. He had really come a long way from genius, billionaire, playboy, and philanthropist. May was sure his unofficial title was now genius, billionaire, philanthropist, and father.

"To be fair dear, you did follow us," Ben replied casually.

May rolled her eyes. How could she not? James didn't visit that much and when he had entered the apartment it caused a couple of alarms to go off in her head. Add in the fact that Tony was there and, even if he was no stranger to the Parkers, May didn't like the tone or the yelling he was letting out. So, naturally, she thought they were up to something, and she was right.

Honestly, Hazel was old enough to make her own discussions. The girl could take care of herself and her love life was meant to be known by Hazel and this boy she was dating. Besides, Peter had told them about Harry when he was setting the pair up and May knows her nephew. That was why she was confident enough to allow it. After all, Peter wouldn't allow just anyone to date Hazel if he could help it.

"It's teenage rebellion. I know it, I did something to cause my daughter to hate me and now she's going behind my back and dating him," Tony's voice was heard.

"Tony dear. Don't pull at your hair like that. You'll end up bald," May sweetly reminded him.

Tony stopped pulling at his hair, but he was now clutching onto the wall behind him for dear life.

The scene must have looked more like a comedy film, now that May thought about it. Here they were at ten o'clock at night in New York City across the street from a restaurant and, for some reason, bending down on their knees and sitting behind a wall. Tony was leaning over said wall. There was a lovely couple not far from them, giving the group a weary and questionable expression. May blinked at the pair and waved, hoping it was enough to calm down the strangers and show them that they meant no harm. This, however, only seemed to cause more uncomfortable emotions in the pair. The man waved back, but the woman standing beside him had gently pulled his hand down and now they were walking ever so slowly away. May shrugged her shoulders and turned back to the three men in her life.

"He's probably upset that he didn't win the bet," Ben points out.

"What bet?" Rhodey asked. He was sitting between Tony and Ben, arching an eyebrow.

"We've had a bet for a while now, to see when the kids will get together."

May shook her head in a disapproving manner.

In May's eyes, she didn't really mind what kind of girl got together with Peter as long as she was honest and caring, which was why May couldn't wait to meet Gwen. Hazel had told May all about Gwen Stacy and her plan, which the young Stark had named Project Lovebirds. It was a ridiculous name, but then again it went with a ridiculous plan. Hazel had gotten a band and pretty much a truck full of flowers. The young Stark had practically dragged poor Peter out of bed one night, forced him to get in a suit and made a tired Peter Parker hold a blue iris in his hand.

She had then walked Peter out in the middle of the night and no doubt did something cliche like throwing rocks at Gwen's window while the band played "I Need You" by the Beatles.

The pair were meant to be on their first date tonight. It was why May wasn't hiding behind the wall and was on a full on lookout for her nephew and the girl he had managed to pick up.

"Is this because they don't know anyone else? So you guys just automatically believe that they'll get together?" Rhodey asked in a serious tone.

Tony ignored them, May was still watching for Peter, and Ben hummed in acknowledgment.

"Well, to be fair, Hazel isn't that social. Peter is a bullying target on the best of days, and they've never talked about anyone else other than each other. Until now."

Rhodey opened his mouth to protest, but instead of his voice exiting his mouth it was Tony's voice that was heard

"That's Osborn's kid," Tony said, his eyes not leaving the restaurant. "I've seen that kid run around like he owns the place. Did you know he ran all over Osborn mansion without any diapers?"

The boys chose to ignore this. May, on the other hand, gently patted Tony hair.

"That's nice dear."

"Very good points." Rhodey moved on with his own conversation. "But seriously, didn't you guys think that maybe you should have some faith in the kids. Maybe they'll grow out of the stage they're in, meet people, and will advantageously get together with someone special."

Ben looked a little guilty.

"It's not the lack of faith Rhodes. It's just, well... I just can't see them with anyone else. I mean for all I know, they'll probably be best friends until the day they grow old and die and not even have a romantic relationship with each other. However, in fairness, I would rather have some grandchildren later on in life. Besides, I just can't see them being godparents to each other's kids."

"Osborn. I should have dropped him as a child and then none of this would have happened." Tony's voice reminded them that he was still there.

"Oh Ben dear, what do you think she looks like?"

Ben and James ignored them.

"Would it still make Peter kids your grandchildren?" Rhodey asked. "I mean, he is your nephew."

Ben had a thoughtful expression on his face. "I don't think so. if remember correctly if one uncle's nephew has kids, then they don't really have a title."

"Just the nephew's kids?" James deadpanned.

"I'm going to have a very serious talk with Norman when this is done," Tony said with a deadly glare.

"I wonder if the two will get married one day." May clasps her hands. "Oh, I hope I'm still alive by then."

"I believe so." Ben replied to James.

"Huh. I'm going to look that up when I get home."

Ben arches an eyebrow. "Can't you look it up on your phone now?"

Rhodey nods his head. "I can, but I left my phone in my other pants."

"Ah."

"He used to stalk her," Tony stressed.

"Blond hair. I need to look out for a girl with blond hair. Oh, why does blonde have to be so common?" May asked, slightly furious at the lack of information.

"To be fair, those two did help set each other up, James."

Rhodey eyes widened at this. "That's just sad."

This had gone on for a while. Rhodey and Ben in their own heated conversation, May listing everything she knew about the girl that her nephew was with, Tony sharing his thoughts about the horrible idea that his daughter was dating someone and how this date could work out and how he would have to put up with Harry Osborn for a while.

"My daughter. He's dating my daughter!" was the loudest quote on his list that he had made, loud enough for a police officer to hear. The said officer then walked up to the strange group of people with a raised eyebrow.

"I'm sorry sirs." He noticed May and nodded his head. "Ma'am. I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask you all to leave. You've been causing a scene."

May, Ben, and Rhodey looked up at the official in understanding. Tony had other ideas. He threw his hands in the air.

"My daughter's dating someone that I don't approve of!"

The officia blinked. "You too? My daughter's dating some bloke that I don't even know."

Tony was now interested in this.

"Really? Small world. Tony."

"George. George Stacy."

May and Ben shared a wary glance with one another. Rhodey used this time wisely: he facepalmed.

* * *

Reviews, favs and followers are always welcomed. Also thank you for dindadango and Sarge 123 for the reviews that you guys left on the last chapter.


	4. Tears of a Stark

Chapter summary: Peter finds himself with a theme song stuck in his head as he silently blames Hazel for his problem. Happy Hogan should not be allowed to sing on the job and his daughter shouldn't be dating. Anyone! However all good things come to a end, as the world itself goes into chaos, watching the one man they thought was impossible to break. As he breaks down in front of them.

Beta: EllaoftheOpera ( Thank you for you're help and time.)

* * *

Tony Stark knew that his daughter was growing up. It's a part of life, after all, finding one's other half. It'd been three weeks since his daughter started dating that boy, the boy named Harry Osborn, son of Norman Osborn, owner of Oscorp. So what did Tony do in that situation? He glared and followed.

If anybody were to tell his past playboy self what he had become of today, young Tony would have rolled his eyes. He most likely wouldn't listen to the person telling him the information in the first place because he probably would have been recovering from a hangover.

Pepper Potts had told him earlier that day that he was stalking. Tony protested. He was following, no, he was checking to see if his daughter was still alive. Yes, checking. Not stalking. Not following. Checking. Pepper had just rolled her eyes and passed him the next stack of paperwork to sign.

Now he was out here checking on his daughter. He kept a good distance behind her and Osborn and hid behind every wall he ran by. Okay, maybe he was stalking, but-no he was checking. After all, that was the same kid that'd been following his daughter since before high school started.

"I can see what's happening."

Happy was here as well, come to think of it.

Tony Stark wasn't like other billionaires. He didn't need bodyguards around him all the time. One, he didn't get out much and two, it wasn't necessary. His daughter, on the other hand, was outside more often than him. That was why he paid a platoon of guards to look after her.

Happy, though, was a different story. He was hired on when Hazel was three. Tony's daughter had practically adopted the man the moment he walked in. Tony thought it was a horrible idea. All he knew was that Happy had a good track record. The man was still a stranger. Yet his three-year-old daughter had pretty much called him 'Uncle'.

Obadiah didn't even get to be called grandpa, but this strange man who was new in Stark Tower was called Uncle. That's mainly the only reason Happy was Tony's main bodyguard. One, he's proven himself as a person to Tony and two, he's often called to have to provide more security. But something that Tony would never admit out loud, not even to his daughter, is that he often took his daughter's words to heart. If Hazel trusted this man then Tony wouldn't trust him, not at all, but he would give the guy a chance.

Despite this, Tony didn't understand what Happy was talking about. All Tony cared about at the moment was glaring at the back of Harry's neck.

Unbeknownst to Tony, Harry had a strange feeling that somebody was glaring into the back of his neck.

"I don't care, Happy," Tony admitted.

He really didn't care, not at the moment. Maybe if he could get Harry out of the picture then everything would be fine. He could always tell his daughter that her boyfriend decided to go stay at a nice, lovely farm.

He wasn't expecting Happy to nudge his shoulder into him.

"And they don't have a clue."

Tony blinked. Maybe Happy had finally lost it.

"Huh?"

"They'll fall in love and here's the bottom line..."

Okay, Happy was singing. Why the hell was Happy singing and why did his words sound familiar?

"...our trio's," Happy held three figures in the air and counted down one, "down to two."

Oh good lord.

"Oh."

If there was one thing Tony knew, it was the Lion King. Now to be fair, the Lion King wasn't a bad movie. However, there's only so many times one can watch the movie over and over again. This is where Tony Stark had screamed and pulled out his hair as Happy went on singing the damn song.

* * *

Meanwhile, with Harry and Hazel, the young Stark heir had blinked rapidly.

"I thought I heard something."

Harry arched an eyebrow. Somewhere in the city, they say if you listened carefully one could hear Tony Stark screaming over the wind.

"I can't hear anything," Harry commented.

Harry could, however, hear the dogs howling very loudly.

* * *

Peter's eye twitched. James Rhodes had once told him that when being friends with a Stark, toleration and patience is very important. It's important because Starks have a tendency to push one's buttons. And right now, Hazel was pushing Peter's.

To be fair, it wouldn't be the first time (or the last) that Peter had just had enough of his friend or that Hazel herself needed to be alone. It's always an odd scene, however, when the two are just plain old ignoring each other.

It was different this time, though. This time, Hazel was annoying Peter. Ever since he'd been bitten by a spider, Hazel had this crazy idea that he should become a superhero. Peter didn't want to become a superhero. He had a hard enough time getting through high school, not to mention he now had a girlfriend. The last thing he needed (or wanted, for that matter) was to become some sort of crime-fighting superhero.

Hazel must have thought about this for a while now for her to come up with his own theme song. A theme song! Unbeknownst to Peter, Hazel was screaming in her mind and panicking over the fact that Spiderman might not happen. They were all doomed! In the meantime, though, she was happily singing. She was good at many things but singing was not her strong point. It didn't stop her though.

"Spiderman, Spiderman. Does whatever a spider can. Spins a web, any size. Catches thieves just like flies. Look Out! Here comes Spiderman."

It also didn't help that his friend had even designed a suit for him to make.

"Is he strong? Listen, bud. He's got radioactive blood. Can he swing from a thread? Take a look overhead. Hey, there. There goes Spiderman."

The pair were sitting outside of Stark tower on the front steps. People walked by, arching an eyebrow at the young Stark's song.

"Can you stop that?" he hissed.

She was silent for a moment. Peter sighed in relief.

"In the chill of night. At the scene of a crime. Like a streak of light. He arrives just in time."

Peter groaned, sinking his head into his hands.

"Spiderman, Spiderman. Friendly neighborhood Spiderman. Wealth and fame. He's ignored. Action is his reward."

This time, Peter turned to glare at her. Hazel, on the other hand, was very happy, very happy indeed as she tapped a foot on the ground.

"To him, life is a great big bang up. Wherever there's a hang-up. You'll find the Spiderman."

"I hate you," Peter mocks.

"Best friend," Hazel happily said without a care. "They'll love you, Peter. I mean, most superheroes won't even get as much respect from the public as you would." Her smile faded and a thoughtful expression replaced it.

"Well, except for that one guy."

Peter arched an eyebrow. "That one guy?" he repeated.

"Yes." Hazel nods her head, not going into detail about J. Jonah Jameson. "But he has issues."

Peter blinked rapidly. He slowly turned his head away from his friend and watched the road in front of him.

"Okay..." he said slowly.

"With great -"

"Don't say it!" Peter quickly shut her up, placing a hand over her mouth. Her wide honey-brown eyes glanced at him. "I've already gotten a lecture from Uncle Ben. The last thing I want is another one."

Peter stared. Hazel blinked. He still hadn't removed his hand.

"And Aunt May knows. She thought it was just a strange phrase."

It was Hazel's turn to arch an eyebrow. What she didn't know was that when Peter was about to tell Aunt May and had mentioned the word 'spider', his aunt had freaked out and rushed towards the nearest fly spray. Uncle Ben had just rolled his eyes. And Peter? Well, poor Peter didn't know what to think at the time. May, however, thought there was a spider to kill in the room. She was sadly disappointed.

It was then that Tony walked out of Stark tower with a coffee mug in his hand. He glanced down at the odd position the pair were in. He blinked and they blinked in return. Tony takes a sip of his coffee, deciding that it was probably a good idea to go back inside.

The moment Peter removed the hand from Hazel mouth she tried to sing again.

"Spider-"

She was cut off. Peter was quick to clap his hand back over her mouth.

"No," he ordered. He shook his head. "It's gonna be in my head all day now."

Hazel smiled behind his hand.

* * *

Peter Parker stared into the eyes of the red mask in his hands. It didn't matter how many times he told himself that he wasn't going to do this. He wasn't going to fight crime, he wasn't going to be New York City hero.

In a way, he was keeping that promise he'd made to himself. He wasn't going to be a superhero. No, he was going out for revenge. Revenge against the bastard that shot his best friend and put her in a coma, giving her a week to live. He could hear Hazel's voice screaming at him not to go out and do this. Spiderman is meant to be a hero, not another man after revenge.

He didn't care. He was upset, he was angry, and how dare that bastard get away with this! In a way, it's quite funny how fast time flies. A week ago, Hazel was alive and well, sitting in front of Stark Tower singing that annoying theme song and the week after she was shot.

Shot in the heart. The doctors said that they had removed as much of the shrapnel as they could, but one was impossible to get out. They can't do anything as it inches slowly towards her heart. Now, Hazel is on her deathbed.

Taking a deep breath in, Peter found himself sitting on the edge of the window sill in his room. He had worked hard on the outfit that he now wore. It had the same patterned design that Hazel had drawn weeks earlier. It was the same suit that he had casually tossed away, throwing the paper into the air. Hazel was quick to grab it, holding it in her hand and following after him, pointing out all the reasons why she thought he was hero-worthy.

He snorted at the memory. He glanced up at the big black clouds that were hovering above and bit the end of his lip. He glanced down at the mask in his hand one more time. His head turned back to the photo frame beside his bed. There stood a picture of Peter and Hazel lying on the green grass, looking up at the sky above. Hazel's hand pointed at the clouds.

"There's people up there like you and me Peter. Heroes waiting to be born. They're everywhere in this world. Everyday people, walking around and waiting for their lives to change. Not just for them, but for the world. Just you wait, Peter, this world will soon be known for its heroes."

Peter's eyes softened at the thought. He stood up straight, placing the mask over his head and swinging off on his web. Spiderman had work to do.

* * *

Two days before, Hazel Stark was still very much alive, standing and rolling her eyes. She was standing next to her father in front of Stark Tower. He and Obadiah were both having a chat about an ongoing Stark Industries project. She was rolling her eyes because, quite frankly, she was really, really, really bored. That and Tony had told her countless times to stop glaring at Obadiah like he had done some horrible crime.

Dear old dad, if only he knew what his godfather was capable of. If that were the case she would have been very happy to beat the bald man where he stood. In the meantime, she had to stand and look like she was very much listening to him, but she was not actually listening at all. Instead, she dozed off into her mind space, playing with wildflowers on a hillside.

That was, until when she heard something. Now, hearing the smallest noise in New York was quite impossible. After all, people were buzzing around the streets in pairs, in groups, or by themselves, chatting. Their footsteps were often loud, and the traffic next to her was loud enough to make her deaf. She wasn't even able to hear the birds that lived in the city unless she was at a park. So this in itself was not good. This was some sort of sign that something awful was about to take place.

Well, something awful did happen. In the blink of an eye, a person wearing a motorbike helmet on said motorbike raced by, holding an object in their hand. Hazel was unable to make out what it was until she heard the trigger. She didn't know why, but she was able to see the bullet itself almost instantly. It was almost like time had slowed down.

It's here where her mind worked out that something was wrong. The bullet was heading for her father. Her mind didn't have enough time to scream how wrong that was, to tell her that that wasn't supposed to happen, to tell her that Afghanistan was meant to be Tony's first meeting with death. Hazel didn't think. She moved.

She was unaware that both the person with the helmet and Tony's security were on the move. She was unaware because she was gasping for air, her skin burning as the bullet rushed through her. Her legs were wobbly and she felt them bend as gravity worked against her. She thought she heard someone calling out her name and she felt someone catch her before she hit the ground.

Amazing. Amazing what one bullet can do to a person. Amazing how it could take away a life in the blink of an eye. This was what happened to Hazel Stark. A minute ago she was standing and rolling her eyes out of complete boredom and then, just like that, she was gasping for air. She was on the ground now. She felt like she was in someone's arms, but she couldn't tell whose. People were screaming at her, telling her to stay awake. She wanted to, but she was tired.

Maybe she should be a bit afraid of dying again. Maybe she should be screaming and telling them that she didn't want to die. Not here. Not again. Not when she had gotten this far, not when the world of superheroes hadn't even caught up. But she was tired. So very tired.

"Hazel, Kiddo, stay with me, kay?"

That voice, she knew that voice. It seemed like forever, as her head turned to the side to stare up at the man above her. Tony Stark, billionaire, alcoholic, playboy, genius, soon to be Iron Man. This man had come a long way from the Tony that she once knew.

This was the problem. To her, this was no movie, where one could yell at the scene and say 'they can't die' because they're the main character. This was no story. To her, this was real life. A life where she might die again. Who knows, maybe her death will be what kickstarts the birth of Spiderman and Iron Man.

Who knows? She most certainly didn't and she was too tired to think it through. Hazel was proud, proud to know the man behind the mask, even if for a short time, and she was going to tell him this.

Her honey-brown eyes glanced up one more time. It was odd. The Tony in front of her looked so old. He looked like the man who had come out of the cave, the man who would save the world. A grim smile played on her lips and she could feel herself going numb, unaware of the chaos around her.

She'd never seen Tony Stark cry before. She didn't think she ever did, not even the fictional version of Tony Stark. He was begging her to stay a little longer, his head pressed against hers. Then again, this wasn't Tony Stark.

He wasn't Iron Man, not just yet. He was a father about to lose his daughter and she was sure she had made it worse.

The words exited her mouth.

"You..." She felt something warm coming out of her throat. It was blood, her blood, but she didn't know that. That's why Hazel ignored it. "Y-you... you be... y-you be great."

It was so hard to speak. She didn't remember it being so hard to speak.

"Kid, just save your strength."

Another grim smile. It was here that she changed her words. She didn't know why, but her mind told her it would be for the best if she did.

"Don't... d-don't blame your... self."

Then Hazel Stark welcomed death once more.

* * *

Note: Favs, follows and reviews are welcomed. However in the mean time, big thank you to everyone who takes the time to read this story, thank you to the 16 favs, thank you to the 20 follows and thank you to Izzybug for reviewing the last chapter. Thank you all, for reading this story and coming back for more, you all are amazing.


	5. His Child

Chapter summary: He watched her grow. He watched her learn. He watched her trip over her own feet and blame something that wasn't there. The universe itself bends over backwards and history is rewritten. If the universe didn't want history to change, than maybe it shouldn't have given Tony Stark a child. After all Tony didn't believe in God, but the billionaire was willing to find the man and punch him in the face or walk through hell fire, just to save his daughter.

Disclaimed: Any Marvel characters that you see in this fic, does not belong to me. I do not make any money from this story, this is just for fun. However in saying this, I do own my OC Hazel.

Beta: EllaoftheOpera (Thank you.)

* * *

Light footsteps were heard as Tony and Pepper talked about the last meeting they'd attended. Obadiah nodded his head, a thoughtful expression on his face. Another set of heavier footsteps were heard as well, running down the halls of Stark Tower. A young eight-year-old Hazel Maria Stark came out, running towards the small group. Happy was following her, but it was the clothes the young Stark heir wore that caught the group's attention.

She was wearing a black suit and holding a pair of sunglasses in her hand. She used the end of the suit as a rag to rub the sunglasses clean before placing them over her eyes.

"Dad!" she called out.

Hazel leaped upwards. Tony was quick to catch the eight-year-old in his arms. He smiled at the child. Happy stumbled forward before he caught his footing.

"Sorry, boss. She's quick for an eight-year-old," he commented.

"It's okay, Happy. No harm done. Hazel can be a bit of a troublemaker."

She poked out her tongue. She found herself sitting on her father shoulders.

"Miss Stark, why are you wearing that suit?" Pepper questioned, arching an eyebrow.

Hazel looked down at her and Tony looked up. Obadiah tried very hard to blend into the wall behind him. It wasn't like he was scared of the Hazel; he just didn't like being kicked by an eight-year-old child.

"I heard dad was going away." She had always spoken in an adult tone of voice. "I've decided I'm going too," she declared.

"Kiddo, I'm going to a war zone. You are not at all coming."

Her head went down. She started to play with his hair.

"But I want to," she told him. "You don't bring bodyguards with you. That's why I'm in this suit. I'm going to be your bodyguard, and I'm going to protect you."

"Really?" Tony asked. He had a hard time seeing his eight-year-old daughter fighting off thugs.

Hazel nods, unable to see the problem.

"Yup. That way, they can't hurt you. They're going to have to go through me first, and I'll kick their ass."

Pepper gasped. "Miss Stark, we don't use that kind of language around here."

Hazel head went down, as Tony removed her from his shoulders and placed her back on the ground. He bent to his knees so he could stare into the child's eyes.

Happy had noticed Obadiah trying to blend into the wall behind him. He would have done so perfectly. If not for the fact that his suit gave him away. Happy arched an eyebrow at Mr. Stane. Obadiah ignored him.

"You know your old man is old enough to look after himself, right?" Tony asked.

Hazel shrugged her shoulders.

Obadiah felt like he had to explain himself, as Happy was giving him a wary expression.

"I'm not afraid of her," he pointed out. Happy, on the other hand, turned his head back to the father and daughter pair.

"You keep telling yourself that, sir." He tried to say it as politely as he could.

"I know. But I'm scared that you won't come back," she admitted softly.

"I really am not afraid of her," Obadiah pointed out again. "She's eight. What's there to be afraid of?"

"I don't know, sir. I've never been afraid of an eight-year-old."

Obadiah mumbled something that sounded along the lines of, "That's because she happily calls you Uncle and she happily kicks me in the knee and steps on my foot."

Tony sighed. He turned to glare at the pair.

"If you guys are going to have your own conversation then go into another room," he ordered. "I'm trying to comfort my daughter and tell her that everything will be alright."

Both men cleared their throats and mumbled something underneath their breath. Pepper sighed and pulled out a file from her handbag. Tony turned back to Hazel.

"Now, kiddo. You know I always come back, don't you?"

She nodded, slowly and painfully. Tony didn't know why, but ever since Hazel had been born the girl had had a great fear of her father leaving the country whenever he had a pitch meeting to deliver.

"How about this? You be good for Uncle Happy and the Parkers and we can go do ... um," he thought for a moment. "Some father-daughter trip. Kay?"

"Like camping," she happily said.

Tony choked on air. He didn't really want to go camping. That meant he had to go outside and into... into nature. He mentally cried at the loss of technology.

"Camping?" he hesitantly asked. "Wouldn't you rather go to the mall?"

Hazel didn't even need to think about it. She shook her head.

"Nope," she said, popping out the p.

Tony sighed. "Alright, kid. We can go on a camping trip once I get back."

"Awesome!"

Tony stood up straight and the next thing he knew he was tackled into a hug. He returned it before he left the room with Pepper Potts and Obadiah Stane following him. Happy walked ahead, his hand down beside him. A little hand held onto it. Hazel spared her father one last glance.

If they had stayed a little longer, they would have heard Tony ask Pepper a question.

"Ms. Potts, can you look up camping advice for me?"

* * *

Tony eyes fluttered open. He had fallen asleep on the couch in Stark Tower. The last thing on his mind was the idea of moving out of the tower after the failed assassination attempt on him. He should be dead by now or at least be the one on his deathbed and not his daughter. A child was meant to bury the parent and not the other way around. Howard died before him and Tony had to say goodbye to both of his parents.

He didn't even cry then. The universe must hate him. Heaven forbid the great Tony Stark should actually be happy for a time in his life. That happiness must be taken away from him. Therefore, his daughter had to go. He hated that. Tony wasn't a man who believed in God. However, if there was such a man up there now, he wanted nothing more than for the guy to show himself so he could punch God in that perfect face of his.

With a sigh, he sat upright and stared around the tower. It was only then that he noticed how quiet the tower was. He was used to hearing his daughter's footsteps running around the place. He was used to the noise that was brought home when Peter and Hazel were together. Heck, he'd even gotten used to Harry Osborn inside the tower, ever since he started dating Hazel.

Oh, Harry. That poor bloke sitting beside his daughter's bed. He'd just gotten the girl of his dreams and already he was being forced to let go. Tony groaned and rubbed his tired face.

"Hey, Tony."

Tony glanced around and noticed Rhodey standing in the doorway.

"I heard what happened," his friend said, moving to the couch to sit down beside him.

Tony snorted. "I think the world knows."

"Hm," Rhodey acknowledged. "It's on every channel."

They sat in silence before Rhodey spoke up again.

"You've changed, Tones. Hazel did you good. I remember those days where you brought in any woman who looked your way. Not to mention the drinking problem you had back then. It must feel good not to wake up with a major hangover every morning, huh?" he joked lightly.

The joke didn't work though. Tony hadn't moved.

A hologram quickly popped up in front of them, causing both men to jump in their seats.

"Jarvis?" Tony asked, thinking that he was under attack. Which was impossible, since he had built the best AI in the world.

"I'm sorry sir, but I was told to show you this by Miss Stark if anything were to happen to her."

Tony blinked, stumbling forward. He then frowned, because God damn it his daughter shouldn't be thinking about her deathbed. That was meant to be his job!

Rhodey looked on with curiosity.

A pre-recorded clip of Hazel stood in front of them. Her hair was down and she wasn't wearing her normal clothes. Instead, she wore a yellow shirt and black skirt with stockings. Past Hazel smiled at them.

"Okay," she said, clapping her hands together. "Where do I begin?" her eyes darted around the room.

"Alright. First of all, if I'm dead, which I hope is so because I asked Jarvis to play this when I'm dead." A moment of silence. "Or at least if I'm dying, then dad, this is for you."

"If you're still alive," she quickly added. "If you are alive..." her face went grim. "Then I'm sorry. I know. No parent should have to say goodbye to their child. Sad thing though. Death doesn't care who he takes, as long there is one less human on the planet."

Tony eyes narrowed.

"However, I just want to say. Dad, you are pretty cool. Remember that 'World's Greatest Dad' cup I tried to make you when I was little?"

Tony snorted. Rhodey sat back, knowing not to say anything.

"And then the kitchen caught on fire because I put mud into an oven."

Tony rolled his eyes. He had gone into a panic that day.

"You scowled at me. Even Aunt Pepper was shocked by the way you were telling me off and listing all the things that could have happened to me."

And then she told him why.

"It turns out I was trying to make you a cup. That was my third time trying to make you that damn cup and then you just said we could go shopping and buy one instead."

"That's no fun!" Four-year-old Hazel had told him when he explained what was going to happen.

Hazel snorted, her smile fading away. Tony sensed the serious tone and frowned.

"There's a point to all that. Did you know?"

Tony blinked.

"Never give up, dad. You will do great things one day," she said, in an 'I know more than you' tone. "This world needs superheroes."

She winked at him like it was some inside joke.

"And I think there's one right here, waiting to be born."

The clip disappeared.

Tony stared. The new information was sinking into his brain. Rhodey's eyes flicker towards where the clip had played and then back at his best friend.

"J, is there any more of that?"

"No, sir. That's the only clip Miss Stark made."

Tony found himself frowning again.

* * *

Tony sometimes wounders, what his life would have been like if he wasn't a parent. Maybe a part of him was selfish. After all there had been times, where the relationship bewteen his daughter and himself had been strain at best. Where she wouldn't talk to him for days. Where he sometimes wished that he had his old life again.

Tony know that he didn't need to quit, the old ways of his life. From the women that he could charm and the drinking that would occur from morning to night. Don't get him wrong, even as a father women often followed him and he still drinks from time to time, but he changed. He knows this and only he knows, the true reason why. He didn't want to turn out like Howard. He didn't want his drinking to control him, where he would snap at his child or where he would ignore those eyes. He wouldn't become his father.

He would not become the cold man that Tony knew. It's why he did everything he could to do the opposite. Oh yes, he knows. He knows when he got that phone call all those years ago, that he didn't need to take in his daughter.

Heck he didn't even need to visit the hospital. He could have payed those people hush money, to keep it quite, to never mention this moment to anyone. He could have gone with Obie wishes. Young Tony still had the hangover to do so, but the moment he stare at the small figure in that crib. The moment those eyes blinked and honey brown stare at him with awe, the moment the child laughter was heard. Everything changed.

A part of Tony believes that the world itself had bent over backwards, when that moment happened. Where he held the infant child in his arms and tickle her chin, he kept her and raised her to the best of his abilities. He kept that child. Watch her grow, watched her learn, watch her trip over her own feet and blame the step that wasn't there. She was his child. His daughter, it's why when he stare into her empty room that night. Will aware of Rhodey worries eyes. Tony Stark will be dam, if he was going to let her go any time soon.

It didn't help the flashback that occur.

"They hurt you," he remember a five year old Hazel.

His daughter whiping away the tears that the nightmare had caused.

"Who hurt you?" he questioned and she shakes her head.

"No. They hurt you. Bad people, bad men. Hurt you. Killed him."

She sniffers and hugs her arms tighterly around the worn brown teddy bear.

"It won't happen. Promise me it won't happen. Promise me bad men won't take you away."

"Why what would happen?" he can't help, but ask.

"You be reborn. Rise like the mightly Phoenix itself. Born of blood and fire. But you will be hurt," she sniffers again. "Things happened with a price. Caption loses his chance to be a hero again. Thor loses his brother to be a good man. Banner loses his life, for the green hulk to be born. You all become heros, but everything has a price and you be no different daddy. Promise me it won't happen. Promise me!"

The memory of his daughter yell was enough to snap him back into reality. He found himself in his teenage room, his hand holding onto the worn out teddy bear as he blink down. His daughter was always odd, saying odd things and believing in superheros, beside the good old Caption. Hero's would rise again, was often what she would say.

Tony was no hero. He was no god. He had no powers, but he will be dam if he lets go of his daughter. Unknowing to him he had held onto the bear a little more tightly. He was a bloody genius and he was going to help his daughter, cheat death itself. He was going to save her.

If the universe didn't want things to change, than maybe the universe shouldn't have given Tony Stark a child.

* * *

James Rhodes watched on. This is what he had been doing for the past hour, watching his best friend with concern eyes. He stayed silent as the message played, he stay silent as his friend stood still in his god daughter room. Tony was never quite. Even as a parent Tony acted more like a toddler than an adult.

Always bouncing around, coming up with ideas that would pop into his mind and getting to work. A quite Tony was never a good thing. Rhodey knows this better than anyone. A quite Tony about to lose the only family he had left, was worse.

So Rhodey stood there with worry, ready to tackle the man down to the ground if he was about to do something insane. This was when Tony had fled, he had made a dash for the lab. If Rhodey had notice Hazel bear was still in her father hand at the time, he didn't comment for Rhodey was to focus on the task at hand.

"Tony. Tony, Tones are you alright man?" He would repeat the question, again and again.

Tony didn't answer. Instead Tony push away all of his projects that he had been working on onto the floor. Rhodey tires not to notice, how the bear was sitting next to the only photo in the lab. The photo of five year old Hazel, staring with curiosity eyes at DUM-E.

"I know how to save her," Tony practically cried out. His eyes never leaving the tool box that he was digging through.

"How?" Rhodey asked with hesitations.

"My daughter Rhodey. My daughter. I know how to save her."

Rhodey wanted to know how, a detail answer would be nice. After all the girl that was dying was his god daughter.

"A arc reactor," Tony points out with a chuckle.

"Don't they use those things to power up power plants?" Rhodey didn't like the sound of this.

"Yes. But this one will be different. It will keep the shrapnel away from her heart."

Rhodey blinks. Rhodey wants to believe his best friend, he really does, but if he was going to lose a god daughter this week. He was not going to lose a best friend in the same week and this is when he had become concern about his friend satiny.

"Tony," he said slowly, Tony stop his work and look up at him.

"I mean it Rhodes. This can save my daughter, but I can't save her if you keep questioning me about this. It will save her."

Hazel and Tony were more than father and daughter. The pair were pretty much best friends them, if they were the same age as one and another, the two would have been twins or at the very least siblings. Rhodey knows this. They've finished each other sentences and even one another insults. If one won't come out of the lab, the other wouldn't either.

He's seen Hazel drag out her father from time to time and he's seen Tony drag out his daughter as well. So yes, Rhodey was a little skeletal about this idea. He was skeletal because he was worried.

What if this does not work? What if Tony didn't finish his project in time? How would it effect his best friend if he were to lose his daughter? Tony is not a man for emotional attachment, this is the same man that didn't cry at his parents funeral. The same man that masks his emotions with one layer after the next and yet Rhodey had his mind blown.

For the first time in years, Rhodey had seen his best friend cry. Seen his best friend cry and not even care about his mask, seen him cry in front of strangers as he held a dying Hazel in his arms. Pleading her to stay a little longer. Begging her not to leave him alone. Tony was many thing, but Tony was a father that refused to lose his daughter.

"If you're going to tell me that it's impossible," Tony coldly said. "Than you can get out of here Rhodes. You know I will walk through the fire of hell, just to get back my daughter."

Rhodey knows this. A long time ago, he wouldn't have seen the day where Tony was fearless protective of something and the world opening knew it.

"I know Tony and it's why, I won't get in the way."

Rhodey will not get in the way and as Tony nods in understanding and moves on with his work. Rhodey knows that this man is still his best friend, but at the moment this man was desperately close in losing his child.

* * *

She rub the bridge of her noise tiredly. There were many people that she was willing to face, Tony Stark was not one of them. Will at least not a person she wants to tell, that his daughter just might not make it through the night.

"We have to do something," her co-workers spat at her.

"We can't do anything. Even a heart transplant won't work."

"We can cut her open and try again," the worker protested.

"We can't reach the shrapnel," the doctor reasoned.

"Will I'm not going to be the message and tell the Tony Stark. That his daughter will die tonight because the shrapnel is working towards her heart a lot quicker than we first thought."

The doctor eye twitched. What is the nurse talking about, she will be the one that has to give the news. Now as much as it saddens her, there are some people that she couldn't save, some where she puts on that brave emotionless face and tells those family that their love ones won't make it pass the night. There were times where she would drink herself, to forgot. Tony Stark was different.

He could do a lot of things to this hospital. He could be unreasonable if they fail, maybe he will understand or maybe he wouldn't even care as he will be too busy grieving over the loss. Nevertheless Tony Stark was one of the few people in the world, where one would not want to upset and it starts of with not harming his daughter.

It's the same afternoon, where the man she was about to inform bust through her doors and had told her about the miracle he had made. It could save people lives, if it went on the markers. However Tony had a different idea, keep it quite and he passed the money to her and her nurses to keep it quite.

A part of her understands why.

* * *

There was something glowing underneath her blue robe, Harry noted as he stared down at the still form of his sleeping girlfriend. It sat between her breasts and was now the only thing keeping her heart beating and keeping her away from death. If only she would wake up, Harry would be more than happy.

His father was ill as well. They had their own men helping his father get better, but in truth, Harry was more worried about his girlfriend.

Harry had noticed a lot of things as he sat still by Hazel's side. Mr. Stane hadn't visited her once. Harry didn't care about that fact. Much like Hazel, Harry himself did not trust Mr. Stane. Something was off about him. He didn't talk about anything other than weapons and he would only ever talk to Tony about them. Happy had guarded the door a couple of times. He was one of the men that Stark had paid to watch his daughter. The bodyguard had even visited when he wasn't working.

Mr. and Mrs. Parker had both visited every now and again. Mr. Rhodes had been there a couple of times as well. Even Gwen had come. However, there were two men which Harry believed, at one point in his life, would never leave her side: Peter and Tony. Tony hadn't walked in to see her once. He only stood at the door or asked Happy for reports. Harry wasn't too pleased with that idea.

Peter. Peter hadn't even stepped foot in the hospital from what he'd gathered. He was unaware that Peter had indeed dropped by as Spiderman. He often watched from the window.

It was then that Harry noticed something: her hand twitched. Harry blinked and looked down. It twitched again. Her IV started to go off, beeping a bit faster than it had been. Was this a good thing or not? Harry wasn't sure, but his throat was too dry to speak and he was too tired. Gently, Harry hand went down to her stomach. It rested there, not knowing that her honey-brown eyes were fluttering open.

"Harry?" a tired voice asked.

"Tired," he mumbled.

"Oh, poor dear."

Harry's head went straight up. He blinked, turning around to find a small smile on Hazel lips.

"You're alive," he said, bending down to kiss her forehead.

"I take it I was missed," she commented.

Harry smiled at that. "Yeah."

Things were going to go back to normal. Harry was sure of it.

* * *

Note: She's alive! Reviews, Favs and Followers are always welcomed.

Don't worry, the arc reactor and the change that Hazel herself has caused will go into detail in the next chapter. So hopefully any questions you guys have about this chapter, will be answer in the next chapter. If there not answer, than feel free to ask once the chapter is post. As always, thank you to all the people from around the world that reads this story. Thank you to the 32 follows, 22 favs and big thank you to last chapter reviewers. Sailor Luck, dindadango and Izzybug. I know, I say it in every signal chapter, but you can asked any writer on this site and they will tell you, that you guys make these stories possible. You are all wonderful motivations.


	6. And the Years go By

Chapter summary: Hazel ponds about the arc reactor, that shouldn't be hers. Harry tires and never manages to gain his girlfriend father approver. In which the death of two, causes old friendships to break, but Peter finds himself back at the tower to try and reconnect with Hazel. Tony Stark proves that he is a very intimidating person on his own.

Beta: EllaoftheOpera (Thank you.)

* * *

It glowed. It was hard to sleep sometimes because the arc reactor glowed at night. Hazel realized she shouldn't be out alone, not at night and not in the streets, but she couldn't stand walking with bodyguards. Now she understood why the Tony in the other timeline didn't use them and only had Happy.

It was amazing, in a way. The blue light that shined dimly through her black shirt. She was supposed to be dead again, and yet, here she stood at seven o'clock at night. She had just managed to ditch Happy and now stood in front of a small shop, drinking a milkshake in satisfaction.

This wasn't meant to belong to her; it was meant to be Tonys. He was meant to be the first man on earth, quite possibly in the universe itself, with an arc reactor in his chest, not her. Yet here it was, light blue, shining in all its glory. In a way, she was happy that she hadn't died again. What would have happened to her, if that was the case? Would she go to some afterlife? Would she meet the family whose names she can no longer remember once again? Would there be any afterlife? Or would it be the darkness that many claim happens afterward? Hazel didn't know and, quite frankly, didn't care.

She learned this time around, in the first years of her life, that she needs to move on and not care about 'what if' questions or worry about the past. If she did this, the present would go to quickly, years would be missed, and she would be back to what caused the problem in the first place.

Knowing this didn't stop her questioning since this didn't happen last time. Then again, last time Tony didn't have a daughter. In fact, she was sure that, no matter the world, Tony didn't have a child. Oh, she knew there were a couple of female Tony's running around, but she didn't think that they had children of their own either.

She couldn't compare them. Maybe this had happened last time in one of the many worlds. Maybe one of his guards had noticed it and had taken a bullet for the man instead.

"Maybe," she mumbled.

She tensed; something was poking into the back of her spine. She glanced over her shoulder to see another thug, holding another gun to her. Oh, great. At this rate, she would be amazed if she lived past her 30's.

"Let me guess: you want my money." She mocked the man behind her. The thug grunted.

"Cocky, aren't ya princess? How about you give me that money and yer old man won't have to know about any of this?"

"I would know," a voice said. "And I would be very pissed off if that were the case."

The pair's eyes turned upward and noticed Spiderman climbing down one of the skyscrapers next to them.

She smiled. "You should know by now, S.M. I can look after myself, thank you very much."

Spiderman didn't get a chance to protest, as Hazel had chucked her milkshake behind her, hitting the thug in the process, and punched the man in the gut. She removed his gun and took out the bullets before throwing it towards the nearest trash can.

"The only reason that guy got a move on before was because I didn't have time to act. You, however, wasted your time." She spits at the unconscious thug.

"Freeze!" Happy and a couple of guards said in unison. Spiderman was already gone, leaving Hazel Stark alone with the unconscious thug on the ground.

"You're late!" Hazel yelled.

* * *

"Your parents named your brother after my grandfather?" Hazel asked as Gwen and she walked down the street.

Gwen blushed from embarrassment. It had been weeks since Hazel had gotten out of the hospital. She tried not to notice the tighter security around her.

"Um, yes. I know it's a bit strange, but my father respected Howard and his work. He isn't a big fan of Tony, but he respects him nevertheless. Dad was a bit shocked when he realized he had actually met your father."

Hazel nodded her head. She didn't know how it happened, but George Stacy was well-known by her father and by the Parkers. Which was odd, because she didn't remember when the pair met. Tony often ignored the topic when it came up.

"Do you know anything about your grandfather?" Gwen asked out of curiosity.

She knew nothing about her grandfather other than the fact that he was a somewhat abusive father. He was a man who Tony never talked about. He was more than happy that his daughter hadn't asked any questions about her grandfather. Gwen didn't need to know this. That's why Hazel didn't tell her.

"Only what the press knows," she said, which was true. "I've never asked Dad anything about Grandfather and he doesn't bring it up."

"Oh, I see." They take a turn. "You know, I don't think my dad likes Peter that much."

"How can he not like Peter? He wouldn't even hurt a fly."

Gwen shrugged her shoulders as they walked into Peter's apartment building.

"They don't seem to get along," Gwen told her casually. "They talk about Spiderman a lot."

Hazel's eye twitched slightly. Oh, she was mad when she heard the news that Spiderman was out on the streets, and she had hit Peter on the head with a book when he told her why he was going out each night. They hadn't caught the man who shot her, and Peter strongly believed that he needed to be out there to find the man who shot her in the chest.

"Dad thinks this Spiderman character is just a troublemaker. Peter wouldn't call the man a hero, but he said that Spiderman is just trying to help."

"What do you think of the guy?" Hazel asked as she opened the door to May and Ben's apartment with her spare key.

"Hello dear," May greeted happily from her seat at the table. Ben's voice was heard greeting the pair from the kitchen. May's eyes caught Gwen. "Oh, you must be Gwen. How lovely. It's a shame that we didn't meet on a happier note."

"Huh?" Hazel asked, feeling left out.

"You too, Mrs. Parker."

May waved her off. "Just call me May, dear, or Aunt May."

"Thank you, May." Gwen turned to Hazel. "We all got together when you were in that coma."

"Ah," Hazel said. It's here where the two girls heard a bang that had come from Peter room. It was so loud that it shook the room, Causing picture frames and vases to wobble. Gwen was quick to react, catching a couple of pictures as they fell to the ground. Hazel managed to catch a vase midway and May herself had to catch the plates that were in her hands before they hit the ground.

"What the hell, man?" they heard a voice that sounded a lot like Harry's yell.

"Is anyone else here, May?" Hazel asked, sighing as she placed the vase back on the coffee table.

"I think that Osborn lad's here. Ben, what's the boy's name again, dear?"

"Harry!" Ben yelled from the kitchen. His eyes narrowed and he glared at the wall in a disapproving manner.

"Speaking of Harry, have you two had any family dinners yet?" Gwen asked with curiosity.

She giggled quietly at the photo in her hands. The picture was an eight-year-old Hazel and Peter in the snow. Peter had tripped and his face had fallen in the snow. Hazel looked down at him with an unimpressed expression.

"Um, I think he's avoiding dinner meetings. I don't really care about it all that much, and every time I bring up Harry's name dad throws the nearest knife at the wall."

"Okay," Gwen said slowly as she placed the photo on the hook.

"Come on Peter, I said I was sorry!"

The group of family and friends paused at the sight of one Harry Osborn running for his life out of Peter's room. He stopped when he caught sight of Hazel and kissed her on the cheek before running off once again. Peter was following him with a furious face. He had a jacket in his hand as he dashed after the Osborn heir.

"She's my best friend! You can't talk about her like that! I regret setting you two up! Harry, get back here so I can kill you!"

Harry's scream was heard as he dashed out of the door, Peter close behind. He slammed the door on the way out.

"Can't hurt a fly?" Gwen asked, stepping beside Hazel with an amused expression.

"Uh...?" Hazel said, not sure what to say herself at the scene.

She didn't even know what the two were talking about. The silence was broken by a thud could be heard from the room above.

"Keep it down!" The voice from above yelled.

* * *

Harry Osborn smiled nervously, Tony Stark glared, and Norman Osborn tapped his fork on the table. Hazel, well Hazel was ensuring dinner would be served soon. She wasn't allowing Tony to step foot in the kitchen; he was just bad luck when it came down to cooking. Besides, this was a good time for the Osborn's and the Starks to get along. Or, well, try to get along.

Harry still had a healing bruised eye from the other day when Peter had talked to him. Harry refused to tell Hazel what the topic was that had made her best friend end up so furious. It just wasn't like Peter to run out screaming bloody murder. Normally that was her job. Harry, on the other hand, had learned a very important lesson. Peter Parker wasn't as weak as he appeared to be, and he could throw a nasty punch when needed.

That was why Harry kept his mouth shut during dinner. He didn't want to think about what Tony could do to him if he went out of line.

"You know, I like to think of this as a great opportunity," Norman pointed out. His son's nervous smile never left, and even Tony's glare stayed. The Stark father moved his hand towards the drink beside him.

"Oh, really," Tony commented.

"Yes," Norman replied. "Think about it. OsCorp and Stark Industries together. It could bring two big powerhouses together when our children marry."

Tony choked on his drink and Harry went pale. He hadn't thought of marriage. Heck, even Hazel hadn't thought of marriage. Where did marriage come from?

"I'm sorry, but I think I misheard you," Tony said. His glare broke away from Harry as he turned to look at the other billionaire with a serious glint in his eyes.

This is when Harry chose to walk out of the room and run into the kitchen. He stumbled forward, the smell of curry filling the air. He glanced up and noticed Hazel at the stove, stirring a pot with a tea towel over her shoulder.

"What's with the noise?" Hazel asked, noting the yelling in the other room.

"Dad's talking about our marriage."

Unfortunately for Hazel, she choked on the curry she was tasting. She quickly turned to the sink to spit it back out. Harry patted her back.

"What?!"

Harry nods in understanding. "Exactly. I think dad sees us dating as some sort of business opportunity."

Hazel groaned, leaning her head on Harry's shoulder. This is so not what she needed right now.

"No!" Tony's voice was heard from the other room. "My daughter is still in school. You will not talk about my daughter's marriage when she is still in school!"

"Now Tony," Harry's father protested. Tony had another idea.

"I don't care. I'm too young to be a grandfather! Get out! Get out! Get out!"

"Stark, don't you think you're -"

"Security! Get him out of here!" Tony's voice boomed.

"He hates me," Harry commented.

"No," she was quick to tell him. "He just-"

Hazel didn't get a chance to comfort her boyfriend because he was literally thrown out by her father. Harry landed out on the footpath right next to his dad, who was sitting upright. Jarvis closed the door behind them.

"What a shame," Norman said. "We didn't even get a chance to have dinner."

Harry frowned. He picked up his head and turned to glare at his father.

"Dad," he said.

"Yes, son?"

"Thanks for nothing."

"You're very welcome, son."

Harry groaned, his head landing back down on the cold hard ground. Great. His best friend was mad at him and his girlfriend's father hated him. Oh why, was the world against him?

* * *

A happy ending? Unlikely. As the days move on and the seasons change, people come and go. Peter Parker and Hazel Stark know this best, for they both lost someone they held close to their hearts. It didn't happen right away; it happened over time. Harry's father was killed, and Harry believed that it was Spiderman who killed his old man. Harry was wrong. However, it was too late to stop him, because no matter the words that Hazel used to convince him that Spiderman would never kill, it was too late for him. Time was taking its place.

Harry, though, did realize that Spiderman was not and should not be held responsible for his father death. In one last act to help the man, Harry was killed in action, the same way as Gwen Stacy herself. Harry's last words to Peter were to look after Hazel and tell her that he was sorry. Gwen was already dead before she could share her own thoughts.

Gwen Stacy and her father were already dead. Harry was dead himself, and no matter the villains that come and go to challenge the New York vigilante, Spiderman did end up coming back to save the city. And yet, at the same time, he had lost his ties.

Years of friendship and a strong bond with one female Stark had been broken. Peter was mourning the death of his girlfriend and he had started to believe that anyone close to him would be killed. Aunt May and Uncle Ben tried to help him. During the rare moments when Hazel was around, she too tried to convince him. It didn't work though. Nothing worked, and Peter had blocked himself off.

He would come home with bruises from being Spiderman. Aunt May would worry because her nephew wouldn't allow her to help him. So now he spends most of his time in his room.

As for Hazel, she had her own problems. A part of her was telling her that she shouldn't have forgotten the deaths of Gwen Stacy and Harry Osborn. However, there is only so much she remembers from the three reboots, the comics, and the cartoon, not to mention smalls cuts from her old life and this new one. It's difficult to remember what happened in those other timelines. It still didn't help the fact that she could have done something.

She didn't know what, since she was no superhero, but maybe she could have warned them.

The only thing she was proud of was the fact that Ben Parker was still alive and well. Ben died in every version of Spiderman to date, so the thought that he was still alive and well was something that Hazel was very relieved about.

"You alright, kiddo?"

She stopped in her tracks, her head turning. She was in Stark Tower, looking out the window at the night sky. She smiled.

"I'm fine, Dad."

Tony snorted. "You've seen better days, kid."

She blinked, unaware that a tear had fallen down her cheek. She quickly caught on and wiped it away.

"R-really... I'm fine." She cusses at herself for stuttering.

Now, Tony Stark never liked Harry Osborn or his father and he most certainly didn't get along with either man, but he also didn't wish them dead. Which was why if he ever found a way to bring back the dead, he would bring back Harry so he could punch the bloke in the face for upsetting his daughter. The rain started to patter down outside the window.

"Um... I'm going to bed now. Night, Dad." She waves him off.

Tony watched his daughter walk out the room. He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. Oh, he knew that Peter and Hazel hadn't talked to one another since school had ended. He knew that the deaths of Gwen Stacy and Harry Osborn had affected them both.

It still didn't stop Tony from feeling useless. What kind of father can't help his daughter? He was a genius, for crying out loud. There must be something in that mind of his to help her get through this. Tony wasn't an emotional person. He didn't deal with emotion well; he didn't cry at his parent's funeral, the only real death he felt saddened about was Jarvis's, and a part of him was hurt about his mother.

Tony got through that. He got through it with lots of drinking and women, but he got through it.

Hazel was a different story. Only Pepper could really help the girl, with not only female problems but also emotions, and even Pepper couldn't get through to her. She'd been locked up in that room of hers, withdrawn and nothing like the child that Tony knew well.

"Sir, young Peter Parker is at the door and would like to speak with Miss Stark. Shall I allow him to enter?" The AI asked.

Tony's eyes narrowed. Did Parker think after all this time that Tony would allow him to just walk in here and try to reconnect with his daughter?

Tony muttered something under his breath before answering the AI.

"No. Don't let him in. Don't let him step an inch into the tower until I talk with him personally, and don't mention this to my daughter, Jarvis."

"Of course sir, but what do you wish me to do?"

"Tell him that I want to talk with him," Tony stressed the word I.

"Understood, sir."

And so, Tony walked down. He walked down to the bottom floor, not even taking the lift. For all he cared, Parker could wait outside in the rain, for as long as Tony allowed him to.

The door opened up. Tony was still a shoulder's length taller than Peter, which was why, with the night sky and the rain that was pouring down, Tony looked very intimidating. It didn't help that he was blocking the doorway and that his eyes were narrowed in a glare that was in a league of its own.

Peter looked up nervously.

"Parker."

"H-hello, Mr. Stark."

Peter Parker had never been afraid of Tony Stark. After all, Peter had known the billionaire since he could walk, and Tony was often a friendly face. However, in saying this, Peter was very afraid of Tony now, and it's here for the first time that Peter realized how much damage this man could do.

Don't get him wrong, Peter as Spiderman could hold his own if he were to be pinned against the guy, but Tony was a genius. He made nerds look cool. He had the money, he had the resources, he had the contacts; heck, the man made weapons as a living, the best of the best that the military always got first shot at. So even if he was Spiderman and even if he had to fight this guy, let's just say Spiderman would have gone splat, like any other spider that faces a fly swatter. Tony could probably kill him and hide the body and nobody would ever know.

Peter swallowed and told himself, 'Don't stuff this up, man.'

"What do you want, Parker?" Tony asked over the heavy winds that were blowing in the air.

"Um ..."

'Whelp, I've stuffed it up already,' was his grim thought. It turns out the words wouldn't leave his mouth and Tony didn't have the time. He had taken one step backward and the door had closed.

Peter felt like a kicked puppy and he honestly didn't know what to do with himself. He should go back home; Aunt May and Uncle Ben didn't know that he was out here. But he didn't have the strength to do. So he looked around before sitting down on the doorstep of Stark tower.

Maybe Tony was feeling generous because the door opened and there he was. Tony Stark looked down at a sulking Peter Parker. He was soaked, his hair and clothes wet, and, quite frankly, it was only pity that allowed Tony to let him in. So he did. There was a doormat on the inside where Peter stood, knowing it was best not to walk on the floor in the state he was in.

Tony sighed and the rubbed the bridge of his nose.

"Do your aunt and uncle know you're here, Peter?" he asked.

"No, sir," Peter muttered.

"I'll go call them. I'll let Happy drive you home, and I'll go get you another pair of clothes. Still the same size, kid?"

Peter once had a room here. In fact, May and Ben both did as well; they had a floor here too. Tony hadn't done anything with the floors yet, so some of their belongings still sat in the tower.

"Yes sir, still the same size."

"Very well, Parker."

With a click of his fingers, Tony turned his back and walked away, leaving a dripping Peter standing alone.

"You look like shit."

Peter blinked at the voice. Slowly, he lifted up his head and stared at the girl that was once his best friend. She didn't look any better, now in her pajamas with her hair down. She had bags under her eyes and looked sickly and pale.

"When was the last time you ate?"

Hazel snorted. "I eat all the time. When was the last time you had a pair of dry clothes?"

"Ha, ha," he said slowly. "I didn't think Mr. Stark would allow me to see you." He quickly cuts in, remembering the reason he was here.

"Oh he wouldn't," Hazel said casually and walked up toward the miserable sight of her ex-best friend.

"I overheard him speaking with Jarvis."

There was a moment of silence.

"Look, Peter. I want to say sorry for leaving you behind."

Peter thought that was a horrible idea. If anyone should say sorry it should be him, and he made that clear.

"It's not your fault Hazel. I'm the one that should say sorry, I mean you lost Harry and I haven't been-"

"You lost Gwen," she softly cut him off.

Peter didn't know what to say and his dropped jaw showed it.

"You still lost Harry," Peter admitted, more to himself than to her.

They stood there, the only the sound heard being that of water dripping from the young Parker.

"I guess we both lost someone close," Hazel said, coming to terms with it. Her honey-brown eyes slowly glanced up at him, a grim smile on her lips. "But you were there when it happened."

Peter would like to think that there was something in his eyes that caused him to tear up but knew better to lie to himself. He felt arms wrap around him. He didn't know why, but this is when he broke down into tears. In the warm arms of Hazel Stark, strangely enough, he felt safe.

* * *

"Thank you, Tony, for giving us a call. We didn't know where he was. He hasn't been the same since he lost contact with Hazel and Gwen died. We were so worried about him," a panicked May said as she and Ben entered Stark tower and walked towards the lift.

"It's alright May." Tony paused. "Hazel hasn't been the same since Harry's death either, so I guess I can understand your worry," Tony told them, not really wanting to give away what he knew.

"It's a shame they lost the two so young," Ben muttered as the lift moved up.

"I hope they pull through it. I just wish those two would reconnect with each other again."

"I think we all want that May," Ben told his wife. He turned to Tony. "Even if some of us won't admit it."

Tony cleared his throat. Nobody spoke afterward as they walked. They stopped in the door frame.

"You know, with that rain outside, I think you two should stay here tonight. We can always order takeout." He glanced at the couch. "My treat."

For there on the couch was one sleeping Peter Parker, mouth wide open, with one arm slung across Hazel who was laying beside him, using his lap as a pillow. Maybe things would end well after all.

* * *

Note: Favs, follows and reviews are always welcomed.

However moving on to more pressing matters. I know, some of you may be disappointed with this chapter and that's fine. But there are reasons, to why I did not go through the second and third movie of the Spiderman films. 1 reason, it would just take up too much time to write and the 2 reasons, is that the second and third weren't important to this story. It was why this chapter was more of a, going through the years chapter. (See what I did there.) Plus I wanted to dive more into the palladium poison and the Iron Man story line. Which will be on coming chapters.

In saying this, updates won't happen as quickly has it has been. I've normally been updating two chapters every week. This is because I've had those chapters ready before, I had post this story. However with my beta on holidays and I myself going away for a week, updates won't happen as fast.

I want to sit back and write the oncoming chapters and go through the drafts, before I even send them to my beta and post them on this site. In saying this, expect chapters to come back up in five weeks or more. I know. I know, it's a long wait and I understand, but I want to get them perfect, before I share them.

There's been a lot of out takes in this story, that didn't make it into the finally chapter, because I had removed. Just because it didn't fit with the tone or the story itself.

Any who to sum up, Spiderman arc is over and done with. The next chapter will be palladium, Iron Man and than to end it of with the Avengers. There's also a special story line that will happen in future chapters.

In the mean time, Thank you to all the readers, thank you to the 27 follows, 40 follows and ten reviews. Thank you to Sarge 123 and thank you Lavendor Queen for pointing out those mistakes. You guys are all awesome, have a great day or night.

In the mean time, this story will continue.


	7. He's so Spiderman

Hello everyone! Guess who's back? Me that's who! And here's chapter seven ready and waiting for you to read it. Updates will once again happen.

Normally I save this until the end of the chapter, but holly cow people. 44 favs and 69 follows. I think I might just fall over backwards, at the amount of people who have taken a liken to this story.

Thank you cal numbers for you're review. I hope the other chapters were to you're liken. And to Sailor Luck. Will you're just going to have to wait and see.

Disclaimed: I do not own the Avengers. Fun fact though, the OC is mime.

Beta: EllaoftheOpera (Thank you!)

Chapter Summary: When one is hanging upside down from the ceiling, it's safe to say that there's a highly likely chance, that he's Spiderman. Or the time, where Tony question is ignored, Ben won't make up his mind about what channel he wants to watch and May is happily knitting a jumper.

* * *

There was a pile of popcorn beside Hazel. Every time a piece would fall and land on her head, it would bounce and drop to the ground with a small thud. Hazel didn't seem to care. Tony stood back with a questioning glance as he took a sip of his coffee casually. May hadn't noticed; she was humming away and knitting a jumper. And Ben was flicking through the TV channels, simply because there was a commercial break.

"How do you know what's on if you don't stay long enough for the name to pop up?" Hazel asked, her hand digging through the bowl of popcorn.

"I just know," Ben muttered, his eyes never leaving the screen.

"Should I be worried that Peter can stick to walls now?" Tony asked. "I'm pretty sure that the human body can't do that." Almost as an afterthought, he adds, "Or at least I can't do that."

For there on his ceiling was one Peter Parker, sitting there with a bowl of his own popcorn.

"Ben, dear. Just find a channel and stay on it. The ads will be over before you know it," May said.

"But I don't like ads," Ben replied. Everybody had ignored Tony's question.

"We should go back to the movie we were watching. I wanted to see what happened," Peter said, one of the popcorn kernels dropping on Hazel's head again and rolling to the ground.

"He's not Spiderman is he?" Tony asked. "I mean, there's nothing wrong with the guy, but I feel like I should know these things."

"Don't be ridiculous. Spiderman's a lot cooler than Peter, Dad."

"Hey!" Peter protested.

"It's a fact of life, Peter," Hazel teased.

It had been over two years since the deaths of Harry Osborn and Gwen Stacy. Like every death that happens in life, it was difficult to work through. On some days, Peter or Hazel just didn't feel like getting out of bed or eating the food that was placed in front of them. However, they were both healing, and their bond was stronger than ever.

Their bond had only been strengthened when Hazel overheard the Parker's money problem. She solved this by dragging the small family to live in Stark Tower. Tony didn't like this idea. Neither did May or Ben. Peter was indifferent to the matter. Tony had been defeated by just one glance at his daughter puppy dog eyes, and May and Ben no longer had a say in the matter.

Stark tower was a lot busier now, but the small family had practically lived in the tower before, so it didn't really make a difference.

"Nice going you turd, you just killed the -" The actor's voice was cut off as Ben changed the channel.

"Noooo! That was the channel, go back, go back!" Peter and Hazel protested in unison.

"Can't. I'm going around the block. There's no stopping now. You'll have to wait."

Peter's popcorn had slipped out of his hands, but he was quick enough to catch the bowl before it hit his friend's head. The popcorn itself was a different story; it rained down upon Hazel. Once the small shower of popcorn had stopped, Hazel merely blinked.

"I'm not picking that up," she responded. Peter groaned, not really wanting to go down.

Nevertheless, he landed gracefully on Hazel's right.

"I'll get the dustpan," he mumbled and walked out of the room, Tony's eyes following him.

Tony turned back to the TV and took another sip.

"Yep," he said, popping out the p. "He's so Spiderman."

* * *

There was something blue. Hazel noticed it one day when she was in the shower. Something blue around her arc reactor. She didn't think much of it, as she put her clothes on and walked out of the room.

It was going to come back and haunt her. A part of Hazel knew this, but the other part was still trying to wake up from an early morning. She blamed the lack of coffee. She also blamed Peter for waking up early and wanting to go for a jog.

"But I don't want to," she whined to him.

"Come on Hazel, it won't be that bad."

Hazel had decided to go with Plan B. If he wouldn't leave her alone, she wouldn't leave, and she made this noticeable as she flopped to the floor, huffing away one piece of hair that had fallen in front of her eyes. Peter stared.

"But Pepper, I don't want to!" Tony was heard not far down the hall.

"You have to, Tony. This is a very important meeting," Pepper responded.

"Make Hazel do it. It's going to be her job one day."

"But I don't want to," Hazel yelled back. She wasn't sure what they were on about, but if it had to do with a meeting then she refused to go.

Peter face-palmed.

* * *

Peter was successful and Hazel was forced to go out. It was far too early for her and the lack of coffee made her walk about like a zombie. Peter had to pull her by the arm a couple of times so she didn't run into anything or anybody. It was Central Park where Hazel had laid with a flop on the nearest bench, her honey-brown eyes closed.

"It's not that bad," Peter commented, far too happy for this time of day.

"The sun is not even up."

Peter had a deadpan stare on him, as he was, in fact, staring in the direction the sun was shining from.

"What are the odds of seeing Stark and Parker out here?"

Hazel pointed at Peter, not even caring who the voice belonged to.

"Flash," Peter muttered with awe.

To Peter's credit, he and Hazel hadn't seen Flash since school had ended and that was two years ago.

At the name, Hazel's head popped up. Her eyes were fully awake now. Automatically, her body jumped in front of Peter, standing in a protective stance. She leaned forward, one hand on her hips, her eyes narrowed.

"What are you doing here, Thompson?" she sneered, using her free hand to point a finger at him.

Flash put his hands up in the air, to show he meant no harm.

"Can't a guy just walk through Central Park on a fine morning?"

"No," Hazel protested. Peter just blinked.

"I'm not here to cause trouble, Stark."

Both hands were now on Hazel hips as she glared, trying to reduce Flash to a pile of ash.

"Why are you here, Flash?" Peter asked as he was the more reasonable one out of the pair.

Flash shrugged his shoulders. "I normally go for a jog in the morning, anyway. It was just luck that brought me here at the same time you two came here."

Hazel blew a raspberry in his face.

"Besides. We might be co-workers."

"What?" both Hazel and Peter asked, stunned by his response.

Flash had a cocky grin on him as he leaned forward a little, his arms folded across his chest.

"You heard me. We might be co-workers. Guess who got a job at Stark Industries."

* * *

"Why?" Hazel stamped her foot on the ground as she asked her father that day.

"He asked for a job, got an interview, passed the test, and now he works for me," Her father said as he walked into the kitchen.

"But he's Flash Thompson," Hazel stressed as if the name was the answer to all the reasons why he shouldn't be working there.

It hadn't been long since Hazel and Peter had crossed paths with Flash. Hazel had bolted right home just to ask her father if he didn't just allow Flash to work for SI. Peter had followed after her and was now casually walking on the ceiling just for the hell of it.

Hazel and Peter had made a bet ages ago to see how long it would take for Tony to work out that he was Spiderman. Her father didn't take long. After the first few days of them living in the tower, all it took was seeing Peter sitting on the ceiling. That was all the proof Tony needed.

Tony just stared at his daughter as he paused at the stove in front of him.

"Kiddo, I know you have personal issues with the guy, but this is the real world now."

Hazel's face fell.

"Besides," Tony said in a sing-song voice as he turned to her. "You're about to work with me, and then you can boss him around."

"Yes!" Hazel cheered like a football team had just scored points.

"Peter's working there too," Tony noted.

Peter and Hazel exchanged a grin. Tony hand was about to go and turn the dial on the oven.

Hazel and Peter both tensed as something fast zoomed in front of them and tackled her father to the ground.

It was May. The woman quickly got up, and her father was forced to follow the woman's actions.

"Out. Out, out. We have a rule list here, Tony." May points to a paper that was on the bench.

'No Tony Stark, unless he's making coffee.'

Hazel watched her father's head fall down. He muttered something unheard as he slowly walked away into the living room. May dusted herself off and turned to the pair, who were both shocked at what they had just seen.

"Can I help you, dears?" May asked sweetly.

Peter and Hazel made the right choice and walked away ever so slowly.

* * *

Tony Stark was a genius. As he worked down in his lab, he found himself working on the same project that he been working on for a while now. Palladium. It was an issue, but also one of the small factors keeping his daughter alive.

He knew the risk when he made the arc reactor, he really did, but Tony didn't have any choice. It was either give his daughter time for him to find something better to save her or let her die in front of his eyes. That was why Tony didn't visit. He couldn't. His daughter was on her death-bed at the time. She had taken a bullet that was meant for him. Even now, those days still haunted his dreams.

That's why Tony did everything now, even going through old junk from his childhood trying to find something, anything, that won't kill his daughter. Tony couldn't find it, and he found himself sulking in his lab with AC/DC music playing in the background. Tony was worried. He was worried that he was going to lose his daughter again.

"Why her?"

Why was it her? Why couldn't it be him? He could understand if it was him. But his daughter? It just wasn't fair. That was why he worked so hard, to find anything, anything at all that could be a good replacement for the palladium.

His research had led him to nothing.

* * *

"Hey Flash, wait up!" Peter yelled as he chased after the other man that was far ahead of him.

"Get lost Parker," Flash said, clearly not in the mood.

"Aw, come on, Flash. Were co-workers now. We have to get along, right?"

"Not if I work in the security department," Flash replied.

Peter just grinned. Flash knows that Peter would have found out that he wasn't working with the security department. In Flash's mind, he was going to be in a boring old office, working with a stack of paperwork and answering phone calls.

But a job is a job, after all, and Flash was desperate to find one. He had lost his job a couple of months ago and it was hard trying to even get called in a second time. SI was his last option and a risk to take. After all, the man whose name is on the building was the father of the daughter that used to cry with a battle scream, tackle him to the ground, and quite happily beat him to a bloody pulp if he had so much looked at her friend strangely.

So yes, it was a risk, but Flash got the job, and that was one less worry he needed to care about. Besides, if the job didn't work out, he could always join the military like he had thought about doing before.

"Come on, Flash. We could hang out or something?"

"Not interested," Flash said as he walked down the footpath to the bus stop up ahead.

"It might get you bonus points. I'm a family friend, after all."

Flash rolled his eyes and stopped right beside the bus sign. There was one guy sitting on the bench behind them, typing away on his phone. The bystander must not have had his volume turned down because Flash could hear the texting. He ignored it, just like how he tried to ignore Peter.

"I don't care, Parker."

"Come on, it'll be fun. We can catch up and talk-"

Flash rolled his eyes while he trailed the road up ahead and checked the time on his watch. The man was still typing in the background, and between him and Peter, it was starting to become a little annoying.

"Did you see last night's football game?" Peter asked, still trying to start up small talk.

Flash wonders how long will it take for Peter Parker to leave him alone if he doesn't reply.

An impressive whistle was heard. "It was pretty great. I mean, the game was almost a tie."

Flash glanced down the road again. The bus must be on its way now, right? The sound of texting was still heard.

"I did this really cool backflip the other day."

There was some impressive background sounds Peter made as he did a backflip behind Flash. Flash ignored him. The texting in the background was slightly setting him off and his eye twitched. Really, there's volume for a reason, people. Flash silently cussed.

"Hazel made her first robot arm, too. It was pretty cool. She's teaching it how to play chess because DUM-E is a sore loser."

Flash rubbed the bridge of his nose as Peter went on, on, on and on.

"Will you stop that!"

It wasn't Peter that he yelled at, but the guy behind them. The bystander sat there with a dropped jaw, Peter's eyes darting between them as Flash loomed over the man with an angry face.

"Turn your volume down. It's not that hard," Flash ordered.

The man's thumb moved ever so slowly towards the volume button, his eyes never leaving Flash while doing so.

It was almost like the bus itself had stopped in slow motion as it parked behind them. It must have been quite a scene: one bystander with a thumb over his phone and a jaw dropped in a perfect 'o' shape; One Peter Parker, with his back up straight and hands closes to his chest, with big wide eyes; and Flash himself, with arms out and open and eyes narrowed with anger.

Flash tried not to notice the fact that the same bystander had bolted into the bus quicker than he could blink. He grunted and walked in. Peter stayed behind.

"Um ... alright then. I understand."

Flash Thompson was a man that was never friends with Peter Parker. He bullied the guy just because he was smaller than him. Yes, there were other factors, like how the nobody could date somebody popular like Gwen Stacy herself. Not to mention being an old family friend of the Starks themselves. Sure he might have been jealous, but the man was still smaller than him.

It's not the same now. They were at least the same height and Peter was now an even more well known public figure since the Starks had gotten his family to move in Stark Tower. Not to mention Peter had had a job longer than Flash did at SI.

Maybe it was pity, or maybe it was guilt, as Flash took one last glance at Parker as the doors shut. However, he told the bus driver that he had changed his mind and walked back down the steps. Peter noticed this and smiled.

"You're annoying," he said honestly. Peter's smile faded away. Flash ignored that. "And I hate you."

There was a moment of awkward silence. Only the sound of the bus driving away, along with the busy traffic, was heard.

"But I'm going to work with you. Besides. I might need some tips on what to expect at SI."

Peter grinned and chatted alongside Flash. It may have been pity or it may have been guilt, but either way, Flash Thompson was going to give Peter Parker a chance at friendship. Doesn't mean he's going to admit that out loud anytime soon, though.

And that backflip Peter had done a minute ago was pretty awesome.

* * *

Can you really put a spoiler tag for a comic book, that's been out forever? Hmm, ah well small spoiler warning. There's a comic where Flash Thompson does end up being best friends with Peter Parker, but that Flash did join the army. Which was why he and Peter will end up spending a lot more time together in later chapters.

Anyway, favs, followers and reviews are always welcomed. Until next update, see ya's!


	8. Dinner Discussion & Super Stalkers

Chapter Summary: Peter Parker had one small problem. He was in love with his best friend, this wasn't the issues. The issues was that his best friend was the only child and daughter to Tony Stark. Peter has mix feelings, May might get a chance at grandchildren and Hazel really should have become that hermit.

Disclaimed: I do now own the Avengers in any shape or form, I do however own my OC.

Beta: EllaoftheOpera (Thank you, for everything you have done.)

* * *

"Miss Stark."

Hazel liked to think of Phil Coulson as the message boy of SHIELD. In one timeline, he was the first SHIELD agent that people met and they didn't even know until later. He was one of those characters that people either love or hate with no in between (at least, to her knowledge).

Phil was also a character that she had forgotten about until now. It was here when her first thought was, 'he's a bad sign, get away from him, the world is coming to an end'. This thought process, followed by a healthy dose of yelling and screaming and panicking inside her own mind, was a logical choice of action.

At least, it was to her, because the moment Phil stepped into the picture was the moment where all the pieces fell into place, the moment where everything was about to happen, and the moment where life as a hermit had become her life goal.

And she told him. She had glanced up at him and then back at the book in her hand.

"Do you think Dad would be okay if I became a hermit?"

Phil blinked. The man might be good at masking his emotions, but Hazel could see the small hint of confusion. So a SHIELD agent and a billionaire's daughter walk into a bookstore one day and the joke writes itself.

"I mean, I don't think he'd be too happy about my life choice," she said with a thoughtful expression. "But I think it's only because of the lack of technology. He never understood my choice to go on a father and daughter camping trip and why he couldn't build an internet connection out in the woods."

He cleared his throat. Hazel felt very proud that he had held back a laugh because she sniggered as she turned the page.

"If you're here to speak with my dad, he's going to say no. We've turned down the C.I.A. and the F.B.I." She turns to face him. "What are the chances of you getting in?"

She shut the book with a quick snap and a smile on her lips.

"I'm not with the C.I.A or the F.B.I., miss."

She gave him a knowing look. Phil didn't understand why.

"I'm agent Phil Coulson, with the Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement, and Logistic Division."

Oh wow, that really was a mouthful. To be fair, Hazel had forgotten long ago that SHIELD actually stood for something.

"Nice tongue-twister," she taunted as she walked toward the counter. Phil followed. "Hate to break it to you, but there is no way I can remember that. I think I'll call you SHIELD. That way, you don't need to practice the name in front of a mirror every day."

She didn't see the eye twitch that happened as she paid for the book.

"Now. What do you want?"

They walked toward the door and stood outside of the shop.

"I would like to speak to your father. About Spiderman."

Her eyes narrowed. "And why would my dad know anything about him?"

"You're father known for three things. One, he's a billionaire. Two, he's highly overprotective of you." Phil pointed at her. "And three, he's a genius. So there's a 99% chance that he knows Spiderman."

"There's the 1% that he doesn't," Hazel commented, her back straightening up. "Even so, why would you think Spiderman has anything to do with the Starks and, more importantly, my father?"

She was lying right through her teeth. Her father knew Peter was Spiderman. It didn't help that her friend danced around on the ceiling just for the hell of it. The only people in the tower that didn't know were Happy and Obadiah. Pepper had found out simply because she was Pepper and knew something was wrong the moment she stared at the young Parker.

But still, Phil didn't need to know this and, if she had her way, Phil would never know this. Then again, Phil was a super stalker, and, knowing SHIELD, they would work it out anyway. But damn it, she wasn't going to make it easy for them.

Phil shrugged his shoulders. "Like I said, he's known around the world as a highly overprotective father. This is the same man that has a platoon of security guards following you. Do you honestly think that the first person in the world with spider-like abilities would not have any contact with your father and would not be hired as a guard?"

She couldn't help but pull a face. Phil's eyes had trailed over to the building behind her. Unbeknownst to her, Spiderman was behind her and was not helping her case.

"I can look after myself. And you've said it yourself. My dad is overprotective. Spiderman is a vigilante." She tilted her head to the side. "What are the chances of Dad allowing a potential threat to look after me?"

It hurt to say it since Peter wasn't a threat, but Phil was not going to know that.

No words were exchanged afterward. Only people walking around them and the busy traffic was heard.

"There's still a highly likely chance."

Hazel eyes narrowed. It's here where three guys in suits started to walk into the mass of people around them. Hazel considered them. One took her left and the other took her right as she cast a lingering glance at Phil and noticed the third member. The woman was staring at Coulson, almost challenging him before walking into the crowd and at a normal pace. She followed the four behind them.

Phil was right. Dad was highly overprotective. And Spiderman was gone from the building that he was on.

* * *

Hazel knew it was forming. The blue lines around her arc reactor were glowing all over her body. Her mind was tired, of thinking it through, tired of asking questions. How did her father save himself last time? What did he use? Was there something else that helped him prolong his life?

She'd been using makeup to cover the blue lines that were on her neck. Which was odd in and of itself, since Hazel Stark never used makeup of her own free will. There were still pimple scars on her forehead because she had never bothered to hide them. Only Pepper had forced her to use the stuff whenever there was a major event that the Starks had to go to or a press conference.

Hazel sighed. She was starting to form a headache.

* * *

Peter Parker was a troubled soul. Well, it was more like Peter Parker had a small, troubling problem. It turns out that he was very much a dead man because somewhere along the course of his life he had fallen for his best friend. This wasn't an issue on its own; it was the father that he had to deal with.

Sure, some people might worry about whether or not the girl loved them back, but most didn't have a father like Tony Stark. Even when Harry was alive, the boy had never gotten Tony's blessing, and there was a slim chance that Peter would. It might not have been an issue, but when one lives with the man under his roof and works as one of his employees, it could be a problem.

Oh, and there was fact that Hazel might not like him back.

"My life is horrible."

"Pardon, dear," May sweetly said.

It's here where Peter remembered that he was shopping with Aunt May. May refused to buy anything online. If she could get something at a shop then she would do just that. Tony was a smart man to know not to protest with the woman twice.

So here they were, shopping for food, with Peter thinking about how his life could end by just telling Tony that he was in love with Hazel.

"Mr. Stark is going to hate me, or worse, kill me."

May was staring at the tomatoes intensely.

"Don't be ridiculous," she said, waving a hand his way.

"But he is," Peter protested.

May picks up the tomatoes and placed them gently in a bag.

"Why would he kill you?" she asked, placing than back down in the trolley.

"I'm in love," he admitted quietly to himself.

May walked on ahead and Peter followed, pushing the trolley with him.

"Oh, how lovely," she said, clapping her hands together. Peter groaned.

"No. He's going to kill me."

"Oh hush now. No, he won't. If anything, he will question the girl that you bring home."

Peter flinched at the memory of Gwen. The first time Tony had met Gwen Stacy he had asked her 20 questions, ranging from, what are you interested in with Peter? What's your dream job of the future? Followed by, if you hurt him I'll make it seem like you were never born.

"You don't understand," he said, leaning over the trolley.

"What is she like?" May asked, ignoring her nephew panicked voice as she looked at the meat in front of her.

"He's going to kill me," Peter continued.

"What does she look like?"

"And I'm a dead man walking. Not to mention she might not like me."

"What's her style?" she asked, as she placed the lamb in the trolley. She stopped at the chicken.

"Maybe we should have curry instead."

"He's going to hate me, Aunt May."

"You know what, chicken curry sounds wonderful." She traded the lamb for the chicken.

"Oh, good lord. Why did it have to be her?" Peter stressed.

"I'm sure everything will be just fine, dear."

"No. I'm in love with Hazel."

They had walked far away from the meat and were now at the eggs. May gasped in shock, almost dropping the eggs in the process before she caught them mid-air. There was a moment of silence as the pair stared at one another.

An employee had walked past them and, just like any good employee, he stopped.

"Is everything okay, ma'am?" he asked.

"Go away. My nephew is having a crisis."

She was going to feel bad later on in the day, but right now she didn't care. There might be a chance for grandchildren.

* * *

Peter was worried. He was worried for Hazel. She'd been quiet of late, and a quiet Hazel was never a good thing. He sat on top of Stark tower, looking down over the city below him. Hazel was with him, quiet and tired.

Not good, Peter noted. She was hugging her knees and had fallen to the side, sleeping peacefully on his shoulder. He couldn't help but sigh with worry and ponder. It was only now that Peter understood Harry's love for Hazel. Yes, she is fierce when she wants to be, but at the same time, she has a caring side. She was the greatest support Peter had when he was trying to move on with his life. Hazel wasn't a person that forgot a death, wasn't one that hid the pain and locked it away. Instead, she always brought it up if something happened that reminded her of what Harry or Gwen had done. Hazel would tell them the full story behind it.

"They're never truly dead if they are not forgotten," She often told him and the others. They could grieve a death, but death was a part of life and one should always be remembered.

This was Hazel's belief. Which was odd, since Tony wasn't like that and didn't hold onto the same belief that Hazel had. But nobody questioned her ways, because nobody had the heart to tell her otherwise.

That was why Peter fell for her. It was something he never thought he would do, but that was the reasoning behind it. If he was having a bad day and nobody could get through to him, Hazel would.

She tried that, all those years ago, before they drifted apart from one another. She tried to help him, even if she was in pain, and he had ignored her, pushed her away as he walked down the hall, and left her standing alone. Harry's death had scarred her in more ways than Peter could ever understand.

But Peter leaving her behind was worse than anything. It was like he had taken something away from her the moment he walked out on her. The moment he left. It was why Peter made a vow to never leave her alone again if he could help it.

Not while he's alive, at least.

Even if he were to die, the memories he left behind for her would be enough, but when he was alive it was just a big 'I don't care' right in her face, and that's what had hurt her.

Peter understood this. He looked up at the night sky above him, the cold air blowing through his hair and the light breathing of a fallen asleep Hazel in his ear. It's here that Peter decided that he was going to try his best to look after her.

Just as she had protected him throughout high school, it was now his turn to keep her safe. He grinned to himself.

* * *

The next day at a hot dog stand, Hazel Stark found herself staring at an elderly man in front of her.

"You are not real," she said in denial.

"Look, kid, are ya gonna buy something or not? I've got other people waiting."

Hazel's eye twitched. There was no one behind her. The last person that had just bought a hot dog was walking away with it as they spoke.

"Look, old man," she said coldly as she held herself up straight. "I don't know who you are or what you are. Maybe you're some kind of blue alien and there are a lot of siblings in your family. But If you harm New York or my family, I will kick your ass back to the moon."

Rightfully so, the old man was slightly confused.

"Look, do you want a hot dog or not?" he asked, gesturing to his stand.

"For all I know, one of you could be in space. You could be a cleaner, or maybe a truck driver."

"They're on special, kid."

They weren't actually, but to be fair, he was just trying to get the kid away from him.

Hazel stared. She stared and she frowned at the man before her eyes glanced down.

"Fine. One hot dog, please."

It wasn't her fault. She needed to make sure the man was real.

"There you go, kid."

She paid the copy version of Stan Lee and walked away backward, frowning at the man while munching on the hotdog in her hand.

"Kids these days."

* * *

A couple of streets down, Peter and Flash stood in front of a window shop. Peter blinked at the man that used to bully him. Flash shook the frozen drink in his hand, to the shock of Peter Parker standing in front of him.

"How did you know I like her?" Peter asked, a finger on his chin.

"I didn't," Flash admitted. "I was only joking. But honestly, it wasn't that hard to work out."

"It wasn't?" Peter asked, feeling quite lost.

"Yes. There used to be a rumor in high school about you two. That stopped when you started dating Gwen and she started dating Harry."

Peter found himself wincing at the two lives he had failed to save.

"I see."

Peter just turned to the side and stared at his own reflection with a thoughtful expression.

* * *

Hazel sighed as she stared in the mirror inside the car and glanced with worried eyes at the blue lines on her neck. There was no point in hiding anymore. Her mind couldn't think of a replacement and the longer she hid this, the sooner they were going to find out.

She knew her father was worried. The man gave her worried and cautious eyes like he knew something that she didn't. Peter had been asking her what's wrong lately. He would most likely have been in shock that she hadn't been talking to him of late.

Stepping out of the car, Hazel walks back inside Stark tower and to her father's lab, where he normally is. Her footsteps echo in the halls. She does not know how the other version of her father had managed to do this, alone and working on the replacement himself, not even showing any weakness.

Her father was stronger than her. Hazel knew that.

"Dad," she said, peeking her head into the lab.

"Dad... we, we um, need to talk."

He was underneath one of the cars and something sounding like a bump followed by a shout of pain was heard from underneath. Hazel rolled her eyes as her father's face was stared back at her, rubbing his head and one eye closed while doing so.

"Hazel. Hey kid, what can I do for you?"

Hazel rubbed her neck where the blue lines were. Sad eyes greeted her. She was right, no doubt. Her father already knew.

"It's the palladium, isn't it?" Her father asked, as he stood up and dropped his tools on the ground. Hazel nodded her head.

"I don't know."

There was a moment of silence. Her eyes stared at the ground and, ever so slowly, honey-brown eyes stared at the man she called dad. "I don't know what I can use. I was hoping to fix it myself like you would."

Her hand went down, showing the older Stark the jigsaw puzzle pattern forming around her neck.

"Oh kid," he said, grabbing her shoulders gently. "I don't expect you to fix everything. You can always come to your old man if you need help."

Hazel does not respond.

"You should have told me earlier. But you know what?"

Hazel just blinked.

"I'm working on something." Tony knew he was lying.

It's a little lie, though. He really was working on something, working on a replacement. But he hadn't found the cure yet. He'd tried everything, but there was no way in hell he was going to tell his daughter that. He knew he should, so she can prepare. But isn't a parent's job to lie through their teeth and tell their children that everything is going to be fine?

Even if it isn't.

"You'll see. I'll find something. Dad always finds something."

Hazel does not know why she's crying. Another death experience is nothing new, but she does not want to leave. The bullet before went too quick, too fast for Hazel to think it through. The poison was a different story. It was going slow, giving her time to think, giving her mind enough time to wonder.

Hazel really, really didn't want to leave. She couldn't help the tears, that were falling down her cheeks.

"Shh, kid. Dad's going to save you. He will, he will."

Whether it was a promise to himself or to her, she didn't know and, quite frankly, didn't care as she wrapped her arms around him, crying and using his body as support.

She didn't want to die. If she did, she was going to kick Death in the knee, and if she had a flamethrower in her hands then she would happily chase him around and burn him to ashes for forcing her to live through this.

Unbeknownst to both Starks, Peter was in the room, and his eyes had widened with horror at the news. Gasping for air, he bolted - knowing full well that Jarvis would no doubt tell Tony that he was in there. Peter didn't care. All he cared about was his friend.

* * *

Thank you to the 46 favs and the 80 follows.

Guest: Thank you for you're review.

Free feel to follow, fav and review.


	9. You're Smile is like a Sunflower

Chapter summery: It's not every day, one sees Peter Parker aka Spiderman being chased by bees and holding a bright yellow sunflower in hand, for the girl he loves. Between destroyed flowers and Flash daily conversations, the week is just like any normal week. For Hazel Stark and Peter Parker.

Note: You know that random moment, where you as a writer just notice that you're chapters seem to get longer? Yep. It's taken me nine chapters to notice that.

First of all, I think we just hit a milestone. Will this story had hit a milestone, honestly when I first set off to write this story. I went nah, nobody going to read this. Oh past self, how wrong was I.

Big thanks to everyone who takes the time and come back to read this.

From the 91 follows and 55 favs. I'm still trying not too feel overwhelmed by those numbers. Thank you all. It's been so much fun writing this and it brings a smile to me, as I type this story up. I hope it brings some joy to you're life as well.

xFluffyx: Thank you for you're lovely review.

Beta: EllaoftheOpera (Thanks for you're time.)

Disclaimed: I don't think this is necessary anymore. We all know by now that I do not own the Avengers. Fun fact, I do own my lovely OC.

* * *

Peter made a dash for his room and told Jarvis not to let anyone in. He knew it wouldn't work, Tony could rule out all protocol, but the idea that he was in control was enough to calm him down a little. This can't be happening! It was a joke, a horrible, horrible joke. There was no way. He had to be cursed, he just had to be.

From the moment he gained his spider powers till now. First Gwen and now Hazel. He needed to breathe, as he combed his hands through his hair and landed with a flop on the bed below.

"Peter? Peter, are you in there dear?" Aunt May asked in a worried tone.

Peter didn't answer.

"Peter? Sweetie are you-"

"Go away, please," he muttered into the sheets.

There was no response. Peter thought that he finally got a break, but then a knock happened.

"Peter, are you alright? May said you locked yourself in there."

It had to be Hazel. The doors opened, showing him his fear.

"I thought I told Jarvis not to let anyone in," he stressed.

"You did young sir, but ma'am has higher authority," the AI said.

Hazel placed her hands on her hips and poked out her tongue in a childish manner. Peter could still see the redness in her honey-brown eyes.

Peter just gave Hazel a deadpan stare.

"What's wrong Parker?" Hazel asked.

"That's meant to be my question," Peter said, throwing his arms in the air. "Why didn't you tell me about the palladium?"

Hazel blinked, lost for a moment about what her friend was talking about.

"I have-"

"Don't go there," Peter protested. "Just don't go there. Why Hazel, why would you keep it a secret?"

Hazel eyes softened. Her hands moved from her hips as she held them together in front of her.

"I..." She turned around. "I thought I could do it alone."

"What made you change your mind?" he asked out of curiosity.

Hazel didn't answer right away, her eyes finding the laces on her shoes more interesting.

"Dad had a right to know." Her eyes flashed upward. "You as well. But I was going to tell Dad first, since... since he probably already knew before me. I didn't mean for you to hear it the way you did. I know you're upset Peter, and I can understand why."

Hazel didn't say any more. She walked out of his room, leaving a jaw-dropped Peter Parker alone.

* * *

"I told him. I told him that woman wasn't meant for him, that she was in love with his brother. Did he listen? No, of course not," Flash said, munching on his sandwich. "Hey Parker, are you even listening? I'm telling you, man, my dating advice is brilliant. But if you don't have a girl, then nobody hears you out. I might as well be talking to a tree."

Peter just stared at the wheels of the fast moving cars in front of them. They were sitting on a bench in front of a coffee shop.

Peter didn't say anything; he was too deep in thought. The girl he was in love with could possibly be dead next week if she or her father couldn't find a replacement.

Should he still tell her how he feels about her?

"You should have seen how mad the guy was. He was pissed off, and I mean pissed off. Caught them red handed, too." Flash had a thoughtful expression on his face. "I think he was pretty red himself when I think about it."

If he tells her and they don't find a replacement she could die without ever knowing, leaving him alone and lost in a world of self-pity and what if questions.

"I had to hold the man back after the first punch he threw at his brother. The girl screamed her head off at the pair. I think the whole block heard it."

He could tell her and lose her anyway.

"I mean, cheating on your boyfriend, on his birthday, with his brother. How low can you go? Women that do that don't deserve the guy they're with."

He could tell her and she could be saved. She could live out her life and they could work it out. But what if she didn't like him the way Peter loves her? What if Harry's death was still holding her back?

"You should have seen it, man. His mother slapped the girl and practically yelled at one of her sons. It was intense."

It's here where Peter Parker decided he was going to give it a shot. He could lose Hazel, but he didn't think he could live with himself if he didn't tell her how he felt.

"His brother tried to walk out of the room when the mother was screaming in his girlfriend's face. The man's dad was there though and blocked the doorway. He made a run for it, opened the window and jumped out of it. Luckily, they were on the first floor."

"That's it!" Peter said suddenly, standing up and hitting his palm on his head.

Flash leaned back a little, his sandwich midway to his mouth and his eyes wide at the sudden cause of action.

"I'm going to tell her." And with that, Peter was gone.

Flash turned to the tree that was next to him.

"And guess what? The guy goes back out with her. Two weeks later! What the hell is up with that?"

Just then, a woman walked past and saw Flash throwing his hands in the air and talking to the tree. The pair made eye contact for a moment and the woman walked just a little faster to get away from him.

* * *

Bluebells were one of Hazel's few favorite flowers. Peter knew this. He found himself walking towards Stark Industries with a bundle of bluebells in his hand. He had taken the lift to her office, but as it turns out it was a busy day. People just kept filing into the lift, one by one, on every floor the lift had stopped at.

Peter himself was forced to squeeze right in the back. Unbeknownst to him, his bundle of flowers was slowly being crippled and crushed. A couple of blue pedals had fallen to the ground.

Ding.

It was his floor.

"Sorry, sorry. Coming through, sorry," he said each time he bumped into a person.

He cleared his throat and ran a hand through his hair with an air around him that said, 'yep, I think I did that pretty well.'

When he arrived, he stood aside as a co-worker walked out of the office. He dashed in with a big smile on his face.

"Dad, I've got it," Hazel's voice was heard from within the room.

Peter was about to show the bluebells but stopped in his tracks as he noticed a pedal fall to the ground. He froze.

Hazel was on the phone when she noticed Peter enter. Oblivious to the panic in Peter's eyes, she turned around to smile at him. Peter knew he might feel guilty about this later, but there was no way in hell he was going to hand Hazel ruined flowers. With this thought in mind, he made a dash out of the office, accidentally dropping the flowers on the floor.

Hazel turned back around and noticed the ruined bluebells at her feet.

"Kiddo, you there?" Tony's voice could be heard from the other end of the line.

"Yeah, I'm here."

Peter Parker felt like a fool.

* * *

"Remind me again. Why did you book out a whole donut shop, Tony?" Ben asked, his arm leaning on the edge of the chair that he was sitting. His back was slightly turned so he could glance at Tony.

"I felt like coffee," Tony explained, taking a sip of said coffee from the cup in his hands.

"That didn't answer my question," Ben muttered.

"It sort of did, Uncle Ben. Tony felt like coffee and he was too lazy to make his own coffee and so he decided to buy some instead," Peter explained to him, with an air of 'duh, isn't it obvious' around him.

"I wasn't lazy," Tony protested. "I just felt like takeout."

"So you booked out a donut shop?" Hazel asked, breaking apart her donut.

"Exactly."

"This is all well and good, but why are we here?" May asked, looking at the workers behind the bench and noticing that most of them had awe in their eyes.

What May, Ben, and Pepper didn't know was that Tony had booked it out simply because his daughter had felt like donuts and was going to buy a couple herself. This was taken to the extreme as Tony had booked out the shop for one day, leaving only the workers to stay behind.

"It was lunchtime," Hazel answered.

"I still think it's a little ridiculous," Pepper chipped in. "I mean, really Tony? A donut shop for a whole day?"

"Hey, if you have the money, use it."

"That's a horrible lesson to teach your child." Pepper turned to Hazel. "Don't listen to him, Hazel. Money is meant to be saved."

"Why?" Tony asked. "So we can keep it behind bars and put a 'do not touch and only see' sign over it? I reckon money should be used."

Pepper rolled her eyes. The pair found themselves in a deep conversation about what money should be used for.

"You didn't tell them?" Peter asked, lowering his voice so only Hazel could hear.

Hazel shrugged her shoulders.

"I didn't see the need. I don't want everyone walking around me on eggshells."

Peter didn't protest. Even if he wanted to, he understood that Hazel wanted space to breathe and left it at that. Besides, he was still wondering what he could do to get the girl's attention.

Roses seem like a good idea, but Peter knows very well that Hazel did not like roses.

* * *

Daisies. Since Bluebells didn't work, Peter was going to bring her daisies. With a bundle in his hand, he thanked the woman at the flower shop and walked with a hop in his step. What could go wrong?

A need to become Spiderman could go wrong. Peter was torn; help, or give the girl he loves daisies. Help? Daisies? This question repeated itself over and over again, until he heard a woman scream, causing him to lose it and make a dash towards the chaos. As he went to change, he dropped the bundle of daisies and they fell slowly to the ground.

He can't go back to get them anyway, because somebody had stepped carelessly on them. Ah well. Hazel always thought Spiderman's duty was more needed anyway. Of course, when the bank robbery was done and an officer had noticed Spiderman sulking nearby, the cop decided not to comment and walked away.

* * *

Flash rolled his eyes at Peter talking to the window in front of him. They've only just caught up on the years of what they did after school before they went back to the original question. The question Flash asked was a joke and an old school rumor that Peter was dating Hazel.

A part of him was surprised to hear that Peter did have a crush on his longtime childhood friend, but the other part of him? Eh, not so much.

"You're hopeless," Flash taunted as he leaned over a nearby pole. "How did you get Gwen again?"

"Hazel," Peter said proudly. Well that, and it also helped that he was Spiderman. Gwen had known at the time, but Flash didn't need to know that part.

Flash, however, simply blinked at Peter.

"You're, kidding right?" he wishfully asked.

"No," Peter responded.

Flash groaned and ran a hand through his hair.

"She woke me up at midnight, forced me to get into a suit and dragged me all the way to Gwen's apartment building. Then a truck full of flowers drove along and a band singing 'I Need You' by the Beatles."

Flash snorted at the image in his mind.

"What, did she throw rocks at Gwen window in the middle of the night?" he teased.

Peter nodded his head. "Yes."

Flash got the feeling that he shouldn't be surprised by these two anymore.

"Peter."

"Yes Flash?"

"That's extremely sad."

"Oh no, it was more extremely awkward," Peter said, referring to the emotion he was feeling the night that ridiculous idea occurred.

"So," Flash said. "Hazel isn't here, and I have a feeling she isn't the kind of girl that can be charmed with music and flowers if Osborn taught me anything."

Peter nodded his head. "There's another problem."

"Really... do tell."

Peter pointed a finger upward. Flash's eyes followed. There, not far from them, was Stark Tower itself. There was this and the palladium poisoning, but Peter knew his friend well enough not to share that with anyone outside of the family.

"Oh." he nodded in understanding. "You're worried that Hazel is the type of girl that would rather focus on her job than on her love life."

Peter gave him a deadpan stare, holding back the need to facepalm.

"No. It's her father."

"Oh." Flash blinked. "Are you sure? I always thought it was the job thing."

Peter just stared.

* * *

In hindsight, breaking into Stark Tower was not the brightest plain Nick Fury had. He would admit that breaking into Stark Tower itself was no easy task. He had his best men working on the project for the last month. After this stunt, Stark will upgrade his A.I., no doubt, and what took Fury and his men a few months will probably take them two years tops to try this stunt again.

However, he was not going to let Howard's granddaughter die. One, she's pretty much the heir of what they now call SHIELD. Two, it's something that Fury may end up hearing if he ever passed away. And three, she could be a very good ally.

Still, Fury was not at all expecting one May Parker, glaring with anger and pointing a gun at him.

"Why don't you put that gun down, Mrs. Parker? I know you won't shoot."

May seemed to have processed this, but the sound of what seemed like a platoon was running towards him.

"No, but I will. Stay where you are!" Happy, Furry noted.

May slowly placed the gun down and walked over to Happy. He stood over her protectively.

Tony seemed like a guy that would have died alone, but the man had built a sort of family, and Fury had to admit he was impressed. It's here where something shoot past him in the blink of an eye. For a second there he thought that was a web. He blinked and glanced upwards. Was that Spiderman on the ceiling? Fury mentally sighed. He did not get paid enough for this.

"Hey, what do I have here?" Spiderman asked, faking a gasp as he waved Fury's gun in the air. "A gun? Whoa. What are you, some sort of spy?"

Something dropped nearby. Fury turned his head and noticed a coffee mug on the floor. Ben Parker stood there, jaw dropped slightly.

"There are people outside the tower."

It's here Fury noticed the man was wearing some sort of dressing robe. Well, it was seven in the morning.

"Lots of people, and now there's, what? A shot out in the tower? It's seven o'clock. I haven't even cleaned my teeth yet and there's already chaos."

Fury wondered if that was a normal reaction. Most of the time it wasn't. How come everybody was here except the man that he needed to talk to? This was so not his day.

"Oi!" a voice yelled.

Everyone turned their eye upward towards the vents.

"You bloody bastard! These are my vents. Can't a girl die peacefully in her vents? Get out!"

"Isn't this a bit ridiculous?" Fury found himself asking.

"This is pretty normal around here," Spiderman said helpfully.

Out of nowhere, one Clint Barton is tossed out of the vents and lands on his feet, rubbing his arm. Fury's eyes narrowed. Well, so much for that plan.

"Her punches actually hurt," Clint whined.

Fury rubbed the bridge of his nose as a lot easier plans entered his mind.

"And stay out!" Hazel's voice was heard.

"Alright, what's going on?" The king of the tower said as he walked out with a cup of coffee in his hand. "I've got people telling me that I need to leave because of a break in. Somebody said that Spiderman was in here, which is ridiculous. Apparently, my daughter is in the air vents and won't come out-"

"I was born in these vents, I'll die in these vents."

Most of them were looking at the ceiling like the voice in the vents had gone insane. Tony was unfazed by it and Clint was still rubbing his arm. There was a broom nearby which Tony picked up with his free hand. He jabbed the broom harshly into the vents.

"No you weren't," Tony told his daughter and placed the broom back down. "So please, will somebody tell me why I had to leave the lab?"

Tony glanced up and noticed Spiderman was on his ceiling.

"Hi, Mr. Stark," Spiderman beamed as he waved.

Tony was going to have a long talk with that kid once this was done, but he noticed something else.

"Why do you have a gun?" Spiderman pointed at Fury.

Tony turned back around and raised an eyebrow.

"You, eyepatch guy. Explain."

It's here where one Hazel Stark popped her head out from the vents.

"What was that stuff?" she asked Clint.

Tony didn't know what Hazel was talking about, but he didn't like how the conversation had started, and, like any normal overprotective father, he turned to glare at Fury.

This is where Nick Fury had decided that he was going to ask for a pay raise.

Fury told Tony everything. From his father's latest project before the man had passed away and the liquor that his agent had injected into Stark's daughter to keep her alive. Tony asked to see the needle and it was passed on to him. For some reason, Stark's daughter had also known about Clint's pass with the crisis. So Clint found himself telling the Stark Heir about his crisis days.

* * *

"I've tried everything," Tony told him. They were on a different floor and away from everyone else.

Howard Stark was a man that didn't show his emotions, other than the fake smiles for the press. Tony was a different person It's here where Nick Fury knew he wasn't facing some billionaire, genius, and ex-playboy. Nick was facing a man that was about to lose his daughter again. He found himself staring into the lost eyes of a billionaire.

Hazel was known as the 'Stark Disappointment' to the press. Quite frankly, Fury knew that Stark couldn't care any less as long as his daughter was alive.

"How do you know this will work?"

"It might not," Fury admitted. "But it's worth a try. Don't you think, Stark?"

Tony tensed at the words. A moment of understanding passed between the two men.

* * *

Honey-brown eyes stared at the mirror in front of her. The blue light shined through the black shirt like it had always done.

He had done it. He had invented a new element and he saved her. He did it. Hazel wasn't too concerned about what she had changed. Another near-death experience had shown her that she really shouldn't worry too much about history changing. She was born, after all. This in and of itself was change. Tony had changed. Peter was still the same from what she could remember, but his life had changed. Ben was still alive, and May as well.

She had come to take it as a blessing. She was going to try from now on to just tell herself that this was life. She couldn't stop or change everything. She could try; it might have results or it might not. For now, she was just going enjoy the second chance she was given, the second family she was given.

With these thoughts in mind, she found herself screaming with delight. Her father was a genius. After all, not many daughters could say that their dad created a new element. She could, and for crying out loud, she was goddamn proud of it.

She leaped into her father's arms, tackling him to the ground in the process.

"You did it! You did it, you did it!" she repeated.

Ben popped his head into the room and turned to stare.

"I heard screaming. Is everything alright?" Ben grunted, catching himself before he fell, as Hazel had jumped up and hugged him.

Tony stood up and started dusting himself off.

"Thank you, Thank you." She didn't let go of Ben as she grabbed her father into a group hug. "Thank you."

Hazel had then dashed off to tell Peter and May, leaving the two men behind.

"What just happened?" Ben asked, feeling very lost.

Tony had a smile on his lips. "I just saved my daughter."

Ben, May, and Pepper were the only ones that had found out about the palladium poisoning. May had given both Starks a lecture about never hiding anything like that again from the both of them. This was after she made as many sweets as she could and forced Hazel to sit down and eat.

"I still can't believe it. You made a new element," Ben said, a skeptical note in his voice.

"Yep," Tony said happily.

Ben smiled at the man. "Tony, I might be boosting your ego, but you are a genius," he said proudly.

* * *

Peter couldn't help the sudden feeling he got of running towards the nearest door and creating a list on how he could live his life on the streets for the rest of his days. It had been two weeks since Tony had made the new element for his daughter, and here Peter stood, about to tell the guy that he was trying to ask Hazel out, and about to tell the man that he was in love with the Stark Heir.

Now when he said trying, it wasn't like Hazel had turned him down time and time again. It was more like something would happen that would stop Hazel from ever knowing that he was, in fact, trying to gain her attention. Flash also happened to have good dating advice.

Peter shook his head at the thought; he needed to focus. He needed to prepare himself, he needed to be brave, he needed to not run around like a headless chicken. The moment turned to stare at him. Peter went pale and the sudden need to run was there.

He was Spiderman. He'd faced people ten times worse than Tony Stark and yet, here he stood. ready to run like a puppy with his tail down.

"What's wrong with you, Parker?" Tony asked, turning around to glance at him and stopping the work on his project.

Nope. Peter wasn't going to back down. He loved Hazel, and if she loved him too then he would be over the moon. If not, then he can respect that. He'd be hurt, yes, but he could understand.

Tony Stark, Peter couldn't understand. Tony had a habit of scaring anyone that got close to Hazel. There'd been a couple of times where Tony was seen with a tank of all things because one guy was caught asking her out. Hazel knew what she wanted in life and knew when to say no.

"It's all a game to you, isn't it Tony?" he said coldly.

Tony blinked, amusement clear in his eyes. Peter had other ideas, his mind screaming at him and saying, 'What on earth are you doing? Back down man, back down! Abandon ship!'

But no, Peter was on a roll. Nothing was going to stop him but Hazel herself, and his eyes narrowed.

"Well, I'm not like the rest, Tony. You can say no, you can hate me, you can kick me out if you want or even fire me. But your word means nothing compared to Hazel."

The amusement was gone from Tony's eyes like he had only just caught up with Peter's rambling and wasn't happy about where this was going. He was glaring. 'Look! There's a door over there! Run away! Run away!' A voice told him from inside his head. Peter wasn't running.

"Yep. That's right Tony. I love Hazel. I love Hazel Stark and I'm going to ask her out."

If his flowers or anything else he plans doesn't get destroyed in the process.

There was a moment of silence. Whatever bravery Peter had vanished with a click of the fingers. He found himself inching towards the door at a slow pace.

"Oh, really?" Tony asked, causing Peter to come to a halt. The man crossed his arms over his chest.

Tony eyes seemed to be searching for something. Searching for what?

Tony eyes were scanning him and Peter knew why.

"I'm not like that, Mr. Stark," he said coldly. "You know I won't hurt her. Whatever happens, I won't hurt her."

Tony's eyes narrowed. He didn't say much, just turned his back on Peter and went to work. There was a moment where DUM-E was the only noise heard.

"Not bad Parker," he said when Peter was about to leave. "Hurt her though, and I'll come after you with the weapons that the government didn't approve of."

Peter found himself nodding with a stern expression as he walked out of the lab and allowed Tony to go back to work.

It was then that Peter realized he had gotten something Harry Osborn never did. A father's approval.

* * *

There weren't many places in New York to plant a garden. However, the Starks own one. It was small and only held a couple of bright flowers in the summertime. Sunflowers normally brighten the place, and they were Hazel's favorite. They also brought bees.

The bees didn't bother people unless a person were to bother them. Thinking back, cutting down one big sunflower, that a couple of bees were buzzing around probably was not the smartest idea Peter ever had. But damn it, Hazel loved sunflowers, and no bees were going to stop Peter from picking one.

He should have waited because now he was being chased by at least four bees. Four wasn't a big problem, but bees sting and he didn't like to be stung. There was a bright side to all this; he had gotten that sunflower he needed.

"Jarvis, close the door! Close the door!" Peter ordered as he made a run for the automatic doors. The AI did so, a couple of bees splattering once they hit the glass.

Peter panted and stare down at the flower in his hand with sad eyes. The yellow petals had been bent. Some must have fallen off as there were a couple missing. His head automatically fell down.

* * *

Hazel Stark had mixed feelings and felt very, very, very lost. She was no fool after all, and sometimes she wished she wasn't a reborn soul, or at least didn't remember her past life at all. This was not the issue, though. The issue was Peter and her memories of Harry.

She loved Harry. She really did. That was why his death was so hard on her. Yes, she had moved on, but the pain was always there. The what-if questions still pop into her mind every now and again. But that wasn't all.

Peter. Where did Peter stand on this matter? Where was he in this picture? Hazel would have been more than happy to die alone rather than marry Peter Parker. Peter Parker was her best friend; the pair were always close. They did everything together, told one another everything. Peter had always held in a special place in her heart.

Some find love again after their first has left. Hazel knew this well. Even if a part of her did love Peter, there was still that part that longed for Harry. She knew the moment she walked into that restaurants years ago, that one moment where she had taken pity on the man that had tried so hard to gain her attention. She knew it would come back to bite her in the ass, and she was right.

Harry was gone. Harry was never coming back. It would be years before she met the bloke again, and even then it's a slim chance. Peter was here.

"Hazel!"

She jumped backward at the voice, falling to the ground with a thud.

"Peter?" she asked, arching an eyebrow.

There, on the ceiling, hanging upside down like a bat, was Peter Parker, with a big smile and a bright yellow sunflower in his hands.

She blinked at the crushed sunflower in his hands. Peter rubbed the back of his head. Hazel stood up on her feet once again.

"There were still a lot of bees out there."

She didn't hide her giggle at the thought of Peter Parker, aka Spiderman, running away from bees, of all things.

"Hazel I know we've been friends, great friends at that. But I really care about you Hazel," Peter said. "Really care. And I know, I know you feel it too. The idea that we're betraying Gwen and Harry."

Hazel tilted her head to the side.

Peter threw his hands up in the air.

"I don't know. I don't even know what to say. I bring the girl I love a ruined flower," he said, throwing the flower in the air. He passed the flower to her and Hazel, hesitant, took it in her hand. "I love you Hazel, and I know this sounds lame, but I picked that sunflower for you because it reminds me of your smile."

Peter still stood on the ceiling, his head down, sulking and mentally preparing himself for any form of rejection.

"You're right," Hazel said. Peter didn't dare look into her honey-brown eyes. "That was pretty lame. In a sweet way."

Gently, her hand lifted Peter's chin up so they could see eye to eye.

Yes, she loved Harry. Yes, a part of her still longed for him. However, a part of her loved Peter, and he was here with her.

"I think we can make it work," she told him, and the two kissed.

After all, Hazel Maria Stark was in love with her best friend, and she was fine with it. And so was Peter.

* * *

As always fav, follwer, review, feel free too.


	10. How to kill a Billionaire

Note: I have no real reason to why this update was as late as it was, other than out of pure laziness and a lost sense of time. Needless to say, I'm deeply sorry and I cannot promise you guys, that it won't happen again. Honestly with everything that has, been happening in my life again, a lack of updates may become common.

Don't worry though, I will sink it into my head that this story needs a update. When I can. Here's the chapter and the Iron Man story line is starting. Enjoy!

Chapter summery: In high sight, Obadiah Stane should have got someone to kill Hazel instead. There was a higher chance of Tony dying from a broken heart, than by a bomb with his own name on it. Also Obadiah would like to know, who the bloodily hell gave Tony Stark equipment?! Did they really think the man, would do as he was told? They had one job! One job, how hard could it be to kill a man and thus a idea was born.

EllaoftheOpera: ( Thank you for everything!)

* * *

Tony Stark liked to think of himself as a man that never lost his cool. Well, unless his daughter was involved and he had to go to an award ceremony. Hadn't he ever told anyone, that he didn't like award ceremonies? No? Okay then.

"But I don't like award ceremonies," Tony whined in a childish way.

"It's not what you like, Tones. It's what you need," Rhodey pointed out.

Happy just stood there and watched the exchange.

"Uncle R," Hazel butted in, "that makes no sense in this situation."

For as long as Hazel could remember Rhodey always patted the top of her head. She didn't blame the guy. He wasn't around children for the most part and had no idea what to do when he had to babysit her when she was younger. She just stood there with a deadpan expression as Rhodey patted the top of her head.

"Not now, Hazel," he said politely. "Now help me with your man baby of a father and bring him to the car."

"Man baby?" Tony asked. "I'm not even the young adult of the group."

"True. But from here on out, I'm your babysitter, Tony. It's my duty to ensure a full grown adult and a father by the way, actually visits his own ceremonies."

"But I don't even know what the award is for this time," Tony said honestly.

"What is the award for, anyway?" Hazel lowered her voice, asking Happy the question. She figured he was the only sane adult in this room.

He shrugged his shoulders. "No idea, boss."

The pair watched Tony go limp and drop to the ground, causing Rhodey to catch him midway. Tony folded his arms like a toddler that didn't want to go shopping as Rhodey dragged his best friend out of the room.

Hazel followed the two men with a skip in her step and hummed a happy tune. Happy picked up the bags on the ground and followed suit. In the background stood a face-palming Obadiah and a casual Peter.

"Is it sad that this is normal?" Peter asked, remembering this scene happening every time an award ceremony was mentioned.

"I try not to think about it," Obadiah replied and followed after the small group.

All in all, it's a pretty normal start of the week for the Starks and everyone around them.

* * *

There is a set routine to follow, once one has finally dragged and driven Tony Stark to where he needs to go (in this case, Vegas). They sat in the dining hall and watched the same powerpoint that explained their life journey and tried not to allow Tony to fall asleep in the process.

It was then a race to the car while passing along said award to the first bystander that Tony saw and not allowing May to hear about it. It was, after all, May Parker's first order of business to find any award Tony has and place them all in one room while at the same time saying how proud she was of him to win it in the first place.

Besides, the next day was more important. A pitch meeting in Afghanistan was due and Hazel had a bad feeling. She'd had nightmares about it before. She knew it was her mind playing the same memory over and over again about a kidnapped Tony, or in this case, her father.

"What's wrong?" Peter asked, glancing at her with worried eyes.

They were at the airport, waiting for Tony to get out of his car.

"I have a bad feeling about this."

"I'm telling you, Rhodey," her father was heard as he walked alongside James Rhodes toward the plane. "What's the point of having your own plane if it leaves without you?"

"It's the nightmare again, isn't it?"

Hazel nodded, hugging herself. Peter sensed her distress and wrapped his arms around her.

"I'm sure he's going to be fine."

Hazel bit the end of her lips. She has a strong feeling that everything is about to start. Maybe she would have been called crazy in her old world for thinking this, but Hazel Stark did not want Iron Man to be born. She didn't want her dad hurt.

* * *

Tony Stark didn't come home. Instead, there was a bomb with his name on it, literally. He found himself waking up to pain, and the next time he woke up there was a strange man shaving not far from him. Tony knew his condition.

He knew that Hazel would not be the only other person on earth with an arc reactor. He knew when he got home he was going to make a replacement and another new element. There was just one problem: Tony didn't think he had it in him to get out.

What was he supposed to do? They wanted him to make them a weapon and Tony knew that they would shoot him afterward, once the weapon was made, or force him to live and make more weapons. Now that he's seen what side his weapons were on, he couldn't make them. His daughter was out there and maybe one day she would get shot again and he wouldn't be there to save her.

Worse, she could be shot by one of his own weapons that he makes in this cave if these people didn't kill him. Tony sighed. He only had one thing on him: his wallet, worn and dirty. There was no money inside; it was either lost or taken, But there was a photo.

It was Hazel, smiling brightly as her arms wrapped around him in one big hug. It was a little worn out, a little dirty, with a couple of torn pieces here and there. But the shape the photo was in was the last thing on Tony's mind. Instead, it was enough to keep him going.

He was going home. It was here that Tony Stark had a brilliant idea. From metal suits to flamethrowers, it was enough to go out with a bang.

* * *

"Uncle R, wait up! Wait up!"

Rhodey stopped in his tracks and turned to glance over his shoulders to see his goddaughter running up to him, waving her hand in the air.

"What is it, kid?" he asked.

It was only as she stood right in front of him, with her hands on her hips and a smile on her lips, that he realized. She looked ready for war, wearing a dark green combat uniform. He shook his head.

He knew that look. He knew that Hazel was up to something and he refused to allow her to go to Afghanistan. His best friend may very well be dead and he wasn't going to lose his best friend's child as well.

"Absolutely not," he ordered. Hazel smile faded and turned into a frown. her arms folded over her chest.

"But Uncle R, you said you're going to find my dad. I'm coming with you."

"You have a company to run. The board will go crazy if they lose two Starks in one week."

"Stuff them," she said a little too proudly. "I can't do anything anyway. Stane in charge until I turn 21. I'm only 20, remember?"

Hazel tried not to wince at the mention of Stane. There wasn't much she could do. Her father wouldn't be pleased if she was the cause of Obadiah's lost job. He might have somewhat of an idea, that somebody had tried to order a hit on him, but until she had proof that Obadiah was the cause, the man was still safe.

"And if you say no again, then hear me out. Wouldn't you rather me go with you, my own godfather? This way you know I'm safe. Or would you rather me go with my own search party in a land that I know nothing about?"

James Rhodes found himself staring into Hazel's honey brown eyes. Hazel glared right into his own eyes. Tony was going to hunt him down across the country for this, but Hazel was right. He sighed in defeat.

"Fine."

Hazel clapped happily and ran ahead of him. Tony Stark was so going to kill him afterward.

* * *

It must have been adrenaline that had kept Tony going. All hell broke loose the moment he escaped those caves back there. Yinsen's death was something that would forever haunt his dreams. Tony knew this.

However, Tony didn't have time to wonder about the past now, not when he was a free man. Lack of water would no doubt get to him before anything else could. As Tony found himself walking the sea of sand, the sound of something traveling up ahead gave him a little hope. He knew it could be anyone, friend or foe, but the moment he realized it had come from America of all places he couldn't help but drop down to his knees and laugh out his relief. He waved his hand in the air, hoping they would notice him.

It was Rhodey. The man took him into a massive bear hug.

"Next time, you're sitting with me," Rhodey said with relief noted in his voice.

"Dad!"

Tony found himself almost tackled to the ground, as someone flung herself around him. He knew who she was and a part of him wasn't happy to see her here. Not here. But then there was the other part of him that wouldn't want anyone else to be here but his daughter.

"Hey, kiddo. Sorry I'm late," he can't help but comment.

Hazel cried in relief.

* * *

There weren't many women in Tony's life that could get away with telling him what to do. Even Pepper asking him to go to the hospital before buying a cheeseburger had failed. Hazel knew her father well enough to know that he wouldn't go to one even if he was dying on his deathbed and could still walk on his own two feet.

May Parker, however, was a woman that Tony often found himself listening to. May had a way with words and looked far too innocent for anyone's liking. She had a very sweet tone that really promised pain if a person didn't listen to her. And if all that failed, drag them by the ear, even if they're kicking and screaming.

Tony Stark didn't need a hospital. He didn't want to go to one. He wanted a press conference and a cheeseburger first. Was this too much to ask? Apparently, to May Parker it was, and Tony found himself wincing in pain as the woman dragged him by the ear, pushed him forward into the car, and told Happy to drive to the nearest hospital. She then asked Pepper to make a call to Tony's doctor.

One doctor's check-up later, Tony finally got what he wanted: a press conference, a cheeseburger, and May's homemade apple pie.

* * *

"Let's sit down," Tony said as he happily munched on the homemade pie.

"Why does Tony get the first slice of the pie?" Ben whispered sadly to May as they watched from the other end of the room.

"Shh," May hushed Ben, ignoring his question and about to speak up like a proud mother. "Tony is about to speak."

"There are a lot of things in this world that I don't want my daughter experiencing."

In the back of the room, Hazel was being hugged by Peter, his head gently placed on top of her own. She looked up with interest.

"It's also a shame that my father never got to meet his granddaughter. Then again, I never got to say goodbye to my dad. There are a lot of things that I still want to speak to him about. A lot of questions that will never be answered.

"I would like to ask him about the company. Was he confident, did he have any doubts." He took a bite out of the pie. "Then again, he might've have been everything the press said about him."

In the background, Ben flinched slightly at the statement. May huffed in a disapproving manner. She was never a fan of Howard, but she didn't appreciate Tony's insults.

"You know, I saw young Americans out there being killed by the very weapons that I built and that my daughter was going to build to protect them."

Hazel winced at the words. She wasn't really going to build them, even if she became CEO. If her father wasn't going to change the ways of SI, she was going to, even if her father didn't go through the cave and she had to fight him for it. Good thing she was never going to tell him this.

"I had my eyes opened when I was there. And that's why I'm shutting down the company immediately."

May and Hazel both noticed Obadiah about to race forward to save his job. Hazel gave a Peter a kiss on the cheek before she walked over with May following suit.

"Mr. Stane. Where are you going on this fine day?" May asked Obadiah sweetly as she stood in front of the man, allowing Hazel to walk up to the stand.

"Not now, Mrs. Parker."

May allowed Obadiah to step through, but it was too late; Hazel was already behind the stand.

"The future of Stark Industries will be postponed until another day. For now, this press conference is over. No more comments will be given."

Obadiah's eyes narrowed at the sight. He glanced over at the woman that had slowed him down. May smiled and waved at him. Ben and Peter walked up to her casually. Sometimes Obadiah really did hate that family.

"What was that for?" Tony asked his daughter, lowering his voice. Hazel was forced to bend down to hear him.

"I just saved your butt, unless you have a future plan to keep SI open."

Tony blinked. "I'm working on it."

"So it's a work in progress. Finished with the pie, Dad?" she asked, noticing there was half a pie on her father's plate.

Her father looked down at said pie and then glanced back up his daughter before shielding it with his hand and moving the plate to the side a little. Hazel rolled her eyes.

As they were about to leave, Flash came running towards them with a panicked look in his eyes.

"Are we shutting down?" he asked Hazel. "I can't lose another job."

Hazel turned to Flash with her honey brown eyes. If this was high school Flash she wouldn't have cared, but as of late he and Peter were becoming close friends. If Peter was fine with it, then she was as well. If Flash hurt him again, she would be more than happy to beat him to a bloody pulp.

"I can't promise anything. But don't worry Flash, you're a friend of the family now. You can always work for security," she teased as she jogged a little up ahead to catch up with her family.

Flash stopped in his tracks with his jaw open.

"Security? Maybe I should join the army," he added as an afterthought. "Then again, knowing me, I'll probably lose a leg. I like my legs."

Flash Thompson didn't notice, nor care for that matter, that Hazel pretty much called him a friend of the family.

* * *

As a child, Hazel Stark was always odd. Looking back now, Tony was trying really hard not to notice how most of the things Hazel used to talk about were sort of coming true. Trapped in a cave and born with blood and fire, rise like the Phoenix like they all do.

Tony always thought it was just childish behavior. Parents with more experience than Tony probably would have shaken their heads and said it wasn't normal. This, after all, is the same person that used to skip around in a black suit and her own pair of sunglasses. It freaked Pepper out because it wasn't ladylike, and she was often forced to go dress shopping with May because May didn't like her style. Hazel still continued to wear it though, until high school had come along.

Point being, Hazel was always odd. Tony looked through the only thing in the tower that he owned that wasn't technology. It was an old box, in which he mostly kept things that Hazel had given him or had forgotten about, from school reporters, awards, and even a pair of sunglasses or two. But that wasn't what Tony was looking for; it was the pictures. He threw them down onto his bench. There was over a dozen. The paper was old and worn, showing time had gotten the better of them. They were turning yellow, with little tears here and there. The drawings were still there, some fading away and not as bright as they once were. There were childish drawings and stick figures alike. There it was! The one that he was looking for. A suit-like figure in red and gold, staring right back at him on now stained yellow paper.

The words down at the bottom said, Iron Man. Tony smiled. He knew what his suit would look like. As he turned away, he stopped to glance at the picture the Iron Man was hiding. From gold, red, blue, green and even purple, stood four odd people. He reconsidered one of them being Captain America, as he could tell by the shield.

But the others he didn't recognize, with guns, a bow and arrow, and even a hammer. He was sure the guy in gold with what looked to be a red cape following behind him was meant to be Thor, the god of Thunder, but that couldn't be right. Thor was fake. Wasn't he?

He blinked at one piece of paper hiding behind the one he was staring at. Removing it, he couldn't help but choke on air. How did he not work this out sooner? A rough drawing of Spiderman was there.

This time, he's going to be an Avenger.

He was kind of glad that nobody walked in the moment he dropped his jaw and stared blankly at the paper. Childhood fantasy, Tony told himself. That's all it was, and some of it coming true was just good timing. Tony nodded proudly. Yup, good timing.

"Sir."

JARVIS's voice snapped Tony out of his thoughts. "Mrs. Parker is calling for you, saying dinner is ready, and I quote, 'if you don't come out of that lab in ten minutes I'm dragging you up here and we're taking the stairs,' end quote."

Tony blinked, gently placed the paper down, and made a run for it. A furious May Parker was something nobody wanted to deal with, even on a good day.

* * *

Let's see 98 followers, 59 favs and 16 reviews. (Falls over backwards.)

I say this every time and you guys, must be tired of hearing it, but thank you. Thank you to 98 followers and 59 favs. Thanks to all 16 reviews and big thanks to those that review last chapter.

Sailor Luck: I won't lie either, that part was the most fun to write.

Lavendor Queen: Yep. It took nine chapters later, but their finally together. All thanks to those bees.

As always, feel free to fav, follow and reivew. Until next time, see ya!


	11. Evil Rock Man

11: Evil Rock Man

Note: Hey all I'm back. A new beta beside me, who was a review of this story when it started. Lavendor Queen thank you. Unfortunately my last beta got caught up with life, and I got fairly lazy and left this on the part I left it. However, I'm picking things back up and willing to go on with the story.

Please do take note, Peter Parker is based on the 2012 Spiderman. When this story came out, Homecoming was recently new at the time. Will Mj, and other supporting characters make a appearance? Tempted I am, but it's too soon to tell you. To the lovely review who had post recently about if Mj, and Peter will be a thing. Please know, it's not happening. If you want to read about their relationship I suggest find another story that feather it.

Thank you for all those who have review, fav and followed. If you wish to review on this chapter, or later ones than you are free to do so.

Disclaimer: Any known character in this FanFiction does not belong to me, and is rightfully owned by their respected create. In saying this, I do own Hazel as she is my own OC.

* * *

Chapter summary: Hazel takes Obadiah advice, for a change and pays a hitman. Peter throws pebbles at Tony, and it turns out to be super effect. Also, does anyone else fear for their life when Flash Thompson goes into body guard training? Oh, how Hazel and the gang are now back in action, all a little bit more crazier than the last.

* * *

That's the thing about being billionaires. When you were rich and as famous as the Starks, you knew everybody. Hazel meant everybody. Granted, this didn't mean as a person you could list everyone of your employees by name and remember it from the top of your head. Not by a long shot, but there was a list of people in the Stark data file, and there was also evidence that her so called grandfather was once again the person responsible, for creating Iron Man.

Hazel frowned at the video clip playing before her on Obadiah's laptop. The man went out drinking on his day off; allowing her to sneak into his office. It has taken seven times to get the password, after ending up clicking the 'Need a hint button,' down below, which asked her several questions. Raging from, 'birth place, to the name of your first pet.' Despite this, Hazel finally gotten herself the information she needed, which was slowly downloading onto a USB.

If there was one thing she remembered about her past life, was the story of how Tony Stark became Iron Man. She didn't really remember the in-between moments, but with her father locking himself up in his lab, Hazel had gotten the feeling the metal suit was currently being tested and built. She should let things play out a part of her mind told her as the download read 79%. She wasn't going to. She was going to make Stane pay.

How was she going to explain this to her father?

That she paid someone to kill one of his father figures. She didn't know the answer to that, but quite frankly that wasn't her worry. Her worries were finding a hitman who could do the job. Her father had connections to do just that. He did use to make weapons after all. Knowing he had a couple of hitmen in the palm of his hand wasn't that surprising. Sure, it did shake up her whole world for a bit, but now she had worked past it. She just lived with the fact Tony Stark was just a better person than she was.

The information was finally downloaded. She removes it, bringing out her purse and taking out her dad's credit card.

"Do you take dad's credit card?" She asked, holding the object up to the man, who looked like he had just came out from a James Bond movie.

* * *

It was on the news, two weeks after Stane's death long after his funeral. They repeated it over and over again.

"Godfather of Tony Stark found dead in a car crash!"

The words of the nearest newspaper read, or online article. Hazel wasn't too sure how to feel about the matter, nor did she know how her father felt. He wasn't speaking, and he hadn't even touched Aunt May's homemade apple pie. It was his favourite.

Hazel got the feeling that her old self, might be wrinkling up her nose in disgust at the thought that her soul might one day take another; but really, Hazel didn't feel anything. It was hard to feel for a guy who just lost his life, after knowing you pretty much came back from the dead. Without all the, 'brains, must eat brains,' moment. It was also hard to feel anything for a guy who she hated for so long, and yet here she was standing at his grave, casually drinking a milkshake.

Luckily, she wasn't born in the DC world, she would have to put up with some Batman speech about 'how we don't kill them'. That was the beauty about Stan Lee work, his characters were heroes, despite how some still killed off their big bad enemy. Yet, Hazel didn't know how she felt about the matter. 'He started it', a childish part of her mind said. He did start it, and she ended it. Nobody got hurt, no daring car scenes, no tank missiles. Just a bullet to the head, by some random guy, that had happily taken her money. No questions asked.

He was killed in a car crash.

As far as most were concerned his body was unrecognisable, so even if there was a bullet somewhere, they couldn't find it. They couldn't track it back down to her. She straightened her back and told herself stop feeling this way for a man who tried to kill her family. (Note from Laven for Dragon: It says that earlier Hazel wasn't feeling anything for killing Stane yet here it says that she's 'feeling' something. This is rather contradicting with what was written earlier plus what is she feeling? Please either remove the bit where she says that she doesn't feel anything for Stane's death and explain what she is feeling or remove this bit here saying that she should 'stop feeling this way') He would have done the same thing to all of them, and maybe even danced at their graves, spending all of their money and destroying the Stark name. Like some bully, destroying a poor kid's sandcastle.

"Would I do it again?" She asked, the grave.

She imagined the man, standing behind it while holding his hands behind his back, and giving her an unimpressed glare, like he had done in life.

"I like to think, I don't like killing. And that I wouldn't do it," Hazel said. "At least. I think, that's what past me would have said, but the thing is. I'm not that girl anymore. Nor could I be, I don't think I even remember her. But, I like to believe I know who I am. I didn't like you."

She could participate see the old man, roll his eyes.

"I still don't. I don't have any pity, for you. But the thing is. You would have still died, in another world it would be my dad who would have killed you. It's just that, in this world, my dad had a daughter. Now, whether that's a good thing or a bad thing, I reckon that might be up to you. But one thing is clear to me, Tony Stark isn't alone in this world."

Her milkshake was nearly finished and Hazel turned her back on the grave.

"He's got me. And I don't like killing, not if I don't have to. But, well lets just say, I'm no Batman."

She started to walk away, throwing her milkshake into the nearest bin. Hazel Stark left Obadiah Stane's grave humming a happy tune as she walked back to the car.

* * *

Hazel walked into her father's lab later that day with three boxes of pizza. She paused at the voices yelling at one another.

"Are you kidding me Tones. Next time you decide to build a giant missile and fly halfway across the world, ask the government of the United States for permission first. Or at least tell me where you're going."

Hazel blinked, baffled by Rhodes comment before walking towards them slowly.

"First of all. It's not a missile. It's a suit, and second of all I don't need to tell anyone. Everything worked out well in the end."

"The US Air Force nearly shot you out of the sky," Rhodes stressed.

By the time Hazel found herself in front of the screen her father was standing behind his iron suit with his arms crossed over his chest and her godfather looked almost ready to faint on the spot.

"Am I missing out on something?"

Both men turned to her suddenly, Tony doing everything he could to hide the pieces of his new suit. Rhodey smiled nervously, grabbing a pizza box from her pile.

"Hey Hazel. Hey Hazel," he said twice. "Thanks for the pizza, kiddo. Why don't you go upstairs, and um..."

"Comfort Peter," Tony finished. "He's seemed real down."

Peter came back from saving Queens a couple of days ago and was shot a couple of times in the process. Bleeding, Tony had to send him to the hospital after his suit was removed and say someone had tried to kill his son in law. Which was ridiculous, since Hazel and Peter weren't even married yet, but everybody seemed to be waiting for the big day.

"Um sure," she said trying not to sound a little hurt.

Did her dad find out about what she did? She shakes those thought away, for her mind had already been set and she wasn't going down that rabbit hole again.

"Sure, I'll do that. Yeah, I'll do that," she said, trying to convince herself more than the two men. "Um. Have fun, with whatever."

As she got to the door the voices started again.

"Also I've already named it." Tony said.

"Named it? Once you name it, you start getting attached to it."

"Hey chill out man, you'll love it. I'm calling it Iron Man."

"Tony that's ridiculous. Your suit isn't even made of iron. Where did you come up with something like that?"

"From a five year old's drawing. By the way, what do you think about Thor? You know, God of Thunder."

For one thing, Hazel was completely lost by his last words. Thor hadn't even happened yet, there was no battle in New Mexico. So, how did her father even know? She remembered drawing pictures of the future Avengers team as a child, and she had a habit of warning him about Afghanistan after nightmares as a child. Did he? Did he keep her old drawings? The great, Tony Stark, keeping his daughter drawings, that she has long forgotten about until now.

She giggled to herself, covering a hand over her mouth.

"Miss Hazel are you alright?" A worried Jarvis rang out, she waved him off.

"Oh I'm fine, just thought of something over the top."

She held her tongue as she walked away, unable to believe what she thought was impossible.

* * *

Tony was being fussed over by Pepper as they were getting ready for another press conference. Something about the suit had people had started calling Iron Man. Peter wasn't really concerned about it, he knew who it was since they all walked in on Tony removing the suit from himself with the help of his robots. It just so happened that they caught him at a time where he had bullet holes in it.

Aunt May didn't give Tony any apple pie that night, saying he should have been honest from the start. As if explaining to friends and family one day by starting a conversation with 'I'm building this metal suit and it could fly, shoot weapons, and stop small groups of terrorist attacks as a hobby. Don't mind me, won't be back for dinner.' It would totally not go well between both Pepper and Aunt May.

Peter wasn't sure where his girlfriend stood on the matter. She didn't seem too overwhelmed by the fact that her father was also another superhero, but she didn't seem happy about it either. Or was it the fact that Tony been avoiding her ever since Obadiah's death that had currently caused the sulking woman on Peter's shoulder.

Flash was here as well as he had moved from his sector and started being trained to be a bodyguard. He stood outside with Happy now. Which was odd, Peter never expected the guy to help protect his family in a time of need. He was sure if he told past Flash what he would do in the future, the teen would've laughed in his face.

After calling him a loser and punching him in the gut for it anyway.

Aunt May was nearby finishing up the last winter jumper she was making and Uncle Ben was trying to work out how his new phone worked. Nobody was talking, just enjoying the peaceful silence.

"You all right?" he whispered into Hazel's ear. She didn't answer him, just sighed.

Peter eyes narrowed, he didn't like Hazel being upset and he was going make the person pay for causing it. So he glared at Tony with as much hatred as he could. Tony able to feel the glare on his forehead, looked up at his newspaper and glanced at them with an eyebrow. Peter made a head moment.

'Talk to her,' he mouthed.

Tony didn't even spare her a glance, just looking back down at his newspaper. Peter texted Flash on his phone.

Peter: Can you get me some rocks, after work?

Flash: Rocks? Am I reading this right?

Peter: Yes, you're reading this right. Could you pick up some rocks after work? Preferably small ones.

Peter: Like pebbles. Lots and lots of pebbles.

Flash didn't answer right away, Peter's message only had a notification saying that it was read.

Flash: Um ... Sure thing. I suppose. But wait, let me clarify. Like pebbles, the small little rocks that are annoying to step on. You want me to get you some of them.

Peter didn't understand why Flash was having a hard time trying to see where he was coming from.

Peter: Yes, those ones. Preferable a bag full.

Flash: Sure.

Peter: Thanks Flash, I owe you one.

For some strange reason, Tony Stark felt very nervous. It wasn't the press conference, but the glare Peter was given him. All of a sudden, he found a red jumper tossed over to him thanks to Aunt May.

"There you go dear. Now off you go." She encouraged; Tony did a double take at Peter's glare.

Ben hadn't seemed to care, despite the fact that the elderly man was sitting right next to his nephew. Instead he seemed more concerned about his phone, as he passed it over to Peter.

"What does this thing mean?"

And so the world found out about Iron Man, and who it was when Tony Stark left them with a big mic-drop. All while wearing a winter jumper that read the letters T.S in the colour of red and gold.

* * *

It was the following day when Tony stepped out of his lab to get his morning coffee when he found something chucked at his head. He rubbed the now sore spot forming.

"Peter?" He questioned seeing the boy, with a bag of pebbles in his hand and tossing another one in the air idly.

Maybe Tony needed more coffee than he thought.

"Apologise," Peter ordered out of nowhere.

Tony blinked. What was going through the kid mind? Heck, what was going through his mind? How long did he spend in the lab this time, for?

"Apologise for what?"

Another pebble was thrown at his head.

"That one hurt." He said, rubbing his sore head, and Peter casually pulled out another small rock.

"Apologise!"

"Ow. Alright kid, I don't know if you had too much sugar or if you've suddenly changed sides and now starting to call yourself Evil Rock Man," he's cut off again, but another rock to the head. "Ow."

"Apologise!"

"Alright, alright I'm sorry."

"Not to me." Another rock tossed at him, Tony decided to run, Peter followed.

"But hey, maybe we could work this out? We could work out as a team? Wouldn't that be awesome, Spider Man and Iron Man working together? The fan girls would love it!"

Three more rocks were thrown at Tony's head. Aunt May was at some hairdresser and Uncle Ben had gone for a walk. His daughter was also out of town and Pepper told him he couldn't call her today unless it was important.

"We could be a mentor and student thing. Naturally, I'm the mentor. Stop throwing rocks at me!"

It really shouldn't be a surprise that both men were on the cover of the newspaper again.

'Local billionaire, chased by possible future son in law. With rocks?'

It's a shame Tony didn't run into the nearest hairdresser closer to his tower because May was only right inside.

* * *

Ever get the feeling that somebody was watching you?

Hazel has. Sometimes it was hard to tell if it was one of her father security or one of the shield agents she's seen walking around. Or pretty much anyone, but as far as the press were concerned, she wasn't as interesting. She was no prodigy like her father, she wasn't a superhero and was seen out in the public eye the most. There for, the less interesting person Stark family had. Unless she had caused some fight out in the streets.

Her tendency to punch anything that walked past her had died down since high school. There wasn't much news to report on her and for the most part the press left her alone. This didn't help shake the feeling that somebody was watching he as she walked down the rows of a local bookstore.

That's until her father popped out of nowhere, causing her to scream and toss a book at his forehead.

"Ow," he said sadly.

She noticed a lot of bruises on his face and he was now holding his ice pack close to the spot her book had just been thrown towards.

"What happened to you? You look like you've had rocks thrown at."

Her father flinched, he looked around before quickly covering her mouth with a hand.

"Don't mention that word?" He asked very seriously.

"Um ... Okay."

"It's evil," he pointed out. She nods her head slowly, with wide eyes. "Evil Rock Man, is a cruel and horrible person and a foe, worthy of Iron Man."

'Has her father lost it?' She asked herself.

"Of course," she said. Patting one of his arms slowly and dragging him over towards the nearest table.

"And I'm also very disappointed."

She raised an eyebrow.

"At what?"

"At you?" He pointed a finger at her as she helped him sit down. "I know what you did Hazel. You can't hide everything from your old man."

Her head went down, her mind already jumping to one event.

"I'm not saying sorry. You going to hand me over?"

He snorted and rolled his eyes. "Of course not. Bit hypocritical of me if I did since I probably would have done it myself. Although, mine would have been a lot cooler. There would have been mad car chases and explosions."

"You're not mad?"

"No Hazel. Disappointed yes, mad no. I know what Stane did, and I understood your actions. You felt threatened and you made your decision to remove him. One where the public wouldn't know. Just do me a favour kiddo?"

She sat down beside him and looked into his eyes.

"Don't do it again. I don't want any more blood on your hands. You don't need to turn out like me."

She grinned, taking him into a hug and he returned it, placing the ice bag onto the table. She noticed the light from the reactor.

"Hey dad. You know what I've noticed."

"What's that?"

"We're twins," she pointed out happily gesturing a hand over her own reactor

Tony looked down at his and smiled with her.

"Hey cool. We are."

Little did Hazel know, that Peter was spying on them inside the shop with an unamused expression.


	12. Welcome to Stark Expo!

12: Welcome to Stark Expo!

Note: thank you, for those who have review, follow, fave. Enjoy this chapter, and have a great day.

Beta: Lavendor Queen (thank you, for your time and your help.)

Chapter summary: With Peter and Ben on a fishing trip, Tony passes down his life problems to his daughter and May just wants to know what she will have to make for dinner. All while the board members, might as well pack their bags up because clearly their new CEO, is not all there.

* * *

Stark expo was loud.

Hazel didn't understand why her father wanted to bring it back. Neither of them weren't dying from poison and he said something about leaving a legacy behind. Not to mention she had to deal with this when Peter and Ben were both away on some fishing trip leaving just May, Pepper and her behind the stage waiting for Tony.

As the new CEO of Stark Industries, she couldn't always go to her father whenever a problem rises. She should be going out there and greeting the crowd. Even if almost everybody was calling out her father's name. It hurt somewhat that even if the world knew of her new position, Tony Stark was still higher than her in power.

Hazel didn't want power. She also didn't want to go out there and so she squeaks like a mouse, hiding behind Pepper. The woman was her secretary now, though in her opinion if anybody should run the place it should be Pepper. Pepper wasn't willing to take over the position though.

Not knowing about Hazel's mental stress, Pepper gently patted her hair.

"Don't worry Hazel. Tony will be here any moment now."

What did Pepper say?

All Hazel heard were the crowd outside calling out her father's name, and he wasn't even CEO anymore. The man had a daughter running his company and he was still seen as the biggest thing that happened since toasted bread. How was she able to compete with toast?

It's here where she noticed her father's legacy were a set of big shoes she had to fill. She didn't believe in higher forces, but she couldn't help but look up at the sky and prayer.

"Why couldn't you have reborn me as a farmer's daughter?"

"What?" May asked. "I can't hear you dear."

May shakes her head and place her hands on Hazel's shoulders.

"Hazel, I need you to be honest. Do you know where your father is?"

"What?" Hazel asked back.

Pepper had different ideas however because she heard the woman saying how the show had to go on because the next thing Hazel knows she was pushed forward out onto the stage. She almost tripped over her own feet but managed to catch herself and posed with the best smile she could muster. A hand on her hip, and one up on the sky, the mike close by on.

"Ladies and gentlemen. As the granddaughter of Howard Stark, I would like to say," both arms went up. "It's great to be back people!"

The cheers grew louder and something zoomed by her in red and gold and she had a good idea as to what it was. Landing beside her, his helmet popped open and she found herself on his shoulder.

"Welcome to the Stark expo!" Father and daughter said in unison.

* * *

Somewhere outside of New York, close to an ocean, Peter and Ben both sat nearby the bank with a fishing rod in their hands and the radio on.

"We are coming to you live from the kick-off at the Stark Expo where Tony and Hazel Stark has just walked offstage. Don't worry if you can't make it down here tonight because this Expo goes on all year long and I'm gonna be here checking out all the attractions and the pavilions and inventions from all around the world."

"Peter."

"Yeah Uncle Ben."

"Turn off the radio please."

The radio switched off with a flick of Peter's hand before his eyes twinkled with joy, at the feeling of a fish on the end of his hook.

* * *

Hazel had finally understood why they called them Board meetings. They were boring, dull, exhausting, pick a word that wasn't fun and you've got a Board meeting. She didn't even need to be here since they weren't even protesting to her, they were complaining about her father because he was a superhero. To be fair, her father never said he was a superhero, he just said he was Ironman.

The article she was reading now was just a sample for what's been going around for the last six months. "Tony Stark is Ironman." He wasn't even the first, as far as history books were concerned it was the good old Captain America. Hazel wondered if she should get the old man out of the ice but she didn't remember where around the globe he was frozen.

She didn't want to be another Howard. Another person in her father's life who spends more time looking for what most had seen as a dead guy; ignoring the people that mattered. That would give anyone issues, first his father and then his daughter. Not to mention if she did find the man, she was a little afraid as to what her father would do to the war hero. She shakes the thoughts away and puts worrying about Steve Rogers off for another day.

"Miss. Stark are you even listening?" One board member said as Hazel clicks on another website.

She looks up with honey brown eyes staring at the people in her room, her father himself looked like he was about to doze off if it wasn't for May hitting him on the shoulder lightly every now and again.

"I'm sorry sweetheart. Did you say something?" Echoes of people groaning filled the room, Hazel couldn't help but shake the feeling she missed something.

"Look I don't even know why I'm in here. I just run a company that doesn't make weapons anymore. If you want to whine about why dad gets an iron suit and you don't. Then put in a Christmas list. No big deal."

She glanced out at the windows, wishful thinking to be out there and not in here. Next time, when Peter and Ben go on a trip she wants to follow.

"Miss. Stark this is a big deal and this does concern you." Gregson, a newer member of the Board said. "Your father is still an associate with Stark Industries. Despite handing the title down to you he cannot go flying around in a suit."

She points a finger next to her dad, just in case the guy forgot that she has nothing to do with the iron suit. Tony eyes rolled back, sleeping beside her, only to wake up by a light hit on the arm as May flips over a page of the magazine.

"What'd I'd miss?" He slurred out sleepily.

"You cannot go flying around in a suit," Gregson said again. "Do you know what it will do to our stocks if our CEO's father is seen flying around and pretending to be a hero?"

"Boosts sales," May said casually, causing every eye to look at her. "Free advertising. Pick one, they both sound great to me."

"And what is she doing here? She has no right to be here," Gregson said.

"Don't mind me dear. I'm here as moral support," she turns to both Starks. "You two are doing so well."

"I know, we're awesome," Tony counted.

"No woman," Gregson pitched the bridge of his nose.

"And besides, I never claimed to be a hero," Tony said calmly. "And the stocks are doing fine. In fact, they're up twenty points since the press conference. The stocks are even higher than they'd been before I got kidnapped. Like May said, free advertising."

"That's a short-term thing," Michaels scowled. "What happens tomorrow when you crash into a building in New York and our company's name is attached to the disaster? What happens if you accidentally kill civilians? What happens if you die in action? Your daughter is hardly the type to run a business."

People glanced over to Hazel who was dreamily staring out the window.

"Oh freedom, how I miss you," she said, not at all helping their case.

"We don't have another CEO. Who can step up and take your place? There was Obadiah who could have led this company but after his unfortunate accident there isn't anyone else named to be your successor."

"Hazel is still my daughter, she has my blood and is willing to step up and is currently you're CEO. Yes she is young and inexperienced, but so far the business is being run better than when Obadiah and I had it. It has a CEO who not only cares about what we're selling, but the employees are content for a change and customers services have gone up." Tony points out.

Speaking of Obadiah, Tony has had Jarvis run through the systems to make sure his godfather wasn't working with anyone else.

"And what if something happens to Hazel, Mr. Stark? Somebody has already tried to kill her and could have been successful if it wasn't for her night light."

"Leave my night light alone." Hazel suddenly said, before whipping her head to Pepper. "What are we talking about? And why are we talking about night lights?"

"And I've made sure that security has tightened," Tony said.

"Which is creepy by the way. It's bad enough that I've got Jarvis on my phone." She's turns to the whole board. "Hi Jarvis."

"Hello Miss, shouldn't you be paying attention?" She glanced up at all unimpressed stares from the board.

"If it helps, I'll leave a heir in my will which only close family can get to. Is school out now?"

"Sorry kiddo, schools not out yet. We need to discuss what we're going to make."

Hazel hunched forward in sadness and people were sure a black cloud formed over her as she went to the nearest wall with a depressed sigh.

"We are a weapons company!" Gregson spluttered, "To suggest anything else is preposterous."

"And yet we have so many more divisions than just weapons," Tony said, sliding his hands up to project data from the tablet he'd been holding to appear as a hologram before them. "Divisions such as our Technological Advancements, Medical Research and Clean Energy to name a few. Combined they nearly bring in a billion dollars of revenue and that's with the minimum amount of investments we put into them. Imagine what could happen if we invested more? Military contracts can also be about defensive technologies, such as shields and protective gear; we can outfit them with body armour that is of higher calibre than anything available on the market. We can provide them software upgrades like nothing they've ever had before. We might not be making them missiles, but that doesn't mean they won't still be paying us the same amount as before."

"I vote for technology," Hazel said happily.

"Medical research sounds wonderful," May said, before turning over to Pepper. "Dear, are you staying over for dinner tonight?"

"I think so if that's okay with you?"

"Of course, I'm getting grandchildren out of either Peter or Hazel. And if that doesn't work, I still want grandchildren from Tony. I know he has Hazel, but she's more of my daughter so she doesn't count."

Pepper's face went pink, Tony hadn't noticed as he was on his phone and Hazel stared dreamily out the window again. Michaels pitched the bridge of his nose.

"Mrs. Parker could you please discuss dinner plans after this meeting?"

"I could but I might forget about them and I need to know who wants what and who's coming over. Because Tony wants me to buy everything online, but I don't like-"

"Mrs. Parker, please be quiet," Michaels said.

May flip a page in her magazine.

"Thank you. Starks."

Hazel snapped out of her dream land and went back to reality.

"Additionally, Stark Industries should become a Global name," Hazel said, "We shouldn't just be a company who deals with militaries. Think about how much money we are losing by doing so. We already are coming up with navigation systems for the military. Think about how much money we could bring in if we sold a simpler model to the masses? One that helped them get around from point A to B without having to look at a map. We have the technology for holograms, think about how we could incorporate it into phones and StarkPads. We need to think of the bigger picture. Weapons might have brought in a decent profit margin but think of how much more we could achieve if we simply strived for more."

"And the Military would be interested in such products?" Michaels asked, slightly skeptical. "Surely they're unhappy about the lack of weapons."

"Our weapons were sold behind our backs to terrorists," she said coldly, "I am not producing weaponry anymore and I still have controlling share of this company. Our weapons killed thousands of people, they nearly killed dad."

"You can lock both of us up," Tony said. "But then who would bring in these innovations? Certainly not the Parkers," he gestured his hand to May. "No offence."

"None taken dear," May said. "Would you like ice cream for dessert or do you want me to bake something?"

"Bake-"

"Mr. Stark," Gregson said. "Dinner plans can wait."

"We would just start another company," Hazel added, ignoring the man's last comment. "And take our designs there. The Military will accept what they're given. I've already talked to Rhodes and he has confirmed that the Military is more than interested in the designs I've shown him already. The advancements we can make are incredible. And if you want to know how we've finished our speech, here. We've been practicing."

Hazel brought up the paper to Gregson with glee in her eyes. As she was showing him word for word what they've been writing. He just couldn't believe that these two idiots were running a business.

"Dad had to help me with that bit," she said, pointing at one of the paragraphs.

"Alright," Michaels said, bringing Hazel back to his attention.

"You've proven with the numbers that this is beneficial," Gregson sighed, "This won't be easy Tony. Our stocks will fall as we change course and head in this new decision. But if you're right with these figures, then this is a smart move for Stark Industries and even if you have stood down from being CEO. I can see that you are training your daughter to be the best. You've already brought this company to an international level in the time that you've been CEO. However, if this fails know that you won't be getting the blame for this. Your daughter will. Is she ready for this kind of pressure?"

Tony glanced towards her. Hazel bowed her head.

"Ready as I'll ever be." Almost like an afterthought. "Hey that's a song."

The members of the board prayed to any god that would help them.


	13. Hammer teck Sucks

Hammer Tech sucks

Chapter summary: Everyone has a common foe and it turns out they've all come to terms with how evil pebbles are. May, might be the next super villain. Tony's world is spinning and Hazel wished she was a wizard!

Beta: Thank you Lavendor Queen.

Readers: Thank you so much to the readers, and everybody else, feel free to review and tell me what you think, thanks for the favs and followers.

Me: Will this story have a regular update, like other stories on this site? (Looks at my shoes.) Maybe, I don't know, I can't read your future.

* * *

May has a plan. If James Rhodes was picking sides and ignoring Tony because of it, well he was going to find something nasty in the next cake she bakes for him. This was plan B. Plan A was still a work in progress, but as they sit in a court case, May staring at Rhodey wishing she had heat vision.

Rhodey was trying very hard not to look at the glaring woman on the other side of the room.

"I'm here because you kidnapped me against my free will," Hazel points out.

"I second that," Tony said, spinning in his chair.

"Just because you find this meeting boring Ms. Stark, does not mean you were kidnapped."

"You're right," Hazel said. "I'm here because the US military can't find anything better to do with their free time but be jealous that daddy is not sharing his toys. This is a waste of time and resources. This is a waste of my time and resources. The military still have other companies making them weapons, SI isn't, and never was the only company that sold weapons to the military."

Tony kept spinning on his chair and May hadn't even blink.

"This is very important Ms. Stark. Your father is holding back a powerful weapon. Mr. Stark, do you or do you not possess a specialized weapon," Senator Stern said.

"Iron Man is not a weapon," Tony points out as he stops spinning.

"It's true. It's a comic, going to be a movie, with dad's picture on the front. I've got the draft right here," Hazel said, holding up a small paper book in her hand.

"Hey, can I see that kiddo?"

"Sure, but I want it back as it's the only draft I've got."

She passed the book over to him.

"Starks," Senator Stern said, Tony flips to the first page.

"Do you or do you not possess a specialized weapon," The man asked again.

"I do not," he said firmly, and the man looked at Tony with disbelief, "Well it depends how you define weapon."

"The Iron Man weapon," he said.

"My device does not fit that description," he said, he paused looking over the words on the page. As cameras from behind click away. Flash walked in sitting himself next to May. "I would begin by defining what it is. A high-tech prosthesis."

The room laughed around him, sure that Tony was just messing with them. Hazel's head was on the table, Flash leaned over to May and looked at Rhodey. Rhodey looked at them both, uncertain as to what would happen.

"That's actually the most apt description," he said. "You know this comic is pretty good. Can't wait to see the movie, bet I'll be awesome. Kid wake up."

Tony patted the paper on her hair, Hazel didn't stir.

"Why are we staring at Mr. Rhodes?" Flash asked quietly.

"He's avoiding Tony."

"I see." they both continue to stare.

"It's a weapon, Mr. Stark," Senator Stern said again.

"If your priority was actually the American people-" he said before he cut her off.

"My priority is to get the weapon turned over to the people of the United States of America," Hazel said suddenly, snatching her comic back.

"Perhaps you cannot begin to imagine just what you have created, Stark. You invented a weapon which is capable of mass destruction, and it is in the hands of a civilian. A man like you surely does not understand the consequences that this could have long term. Why don't you leave saving the world to people who are actually qualified?"

"Captain America sleeping in ice," Hazel pointed out, causing couple of people to laugh. "You cannot save people by killing others. Peaceful protests have proven that you can get what you want, by doing it peacefully. Who's to say you can't save the world just because you aren't apart of the army?"

"I've said it before, and I will say it again. This is a waste of everyone's time, the military won't admit it, but they don't like the idea. That someone else has something that can cause a bigger boom than with their own weapons. Especially when that person isn't under their control. My father isn't going around blowing things up because he wants to. He isn't playing hero, but if comics taught me anything it is that people tend to name those wearing mask and saving others. Calling them heroes."

"The point is, I'm Iron Man." Tony continued after Hazel. "The Suit and I are one. To turn over the Iron Man suit would be to turn over myself. Which is tantamount to indentured servitude or prostitution, depending on what state you're in. You can't have it."

"Look I'm no expert-" Stern started, and he cut him off.

"In prostitution?" He said flashing him a smile, knowing fully well that the Senator had just had a prostitution scandal the year before which nearly ruined his career. "Of course not, you're a senator."

"I'm no expert in weapons," the senator said, unimpressed, "We have somebody here who is an expert on weapons. I'd now like to call Justin Hammer, our current primary weapons contractor."

Flash stopped staring and cleared his throat.

"Hammer tech sucks."

May turned on him and he sighed, knowing he'd have to put some money in the swear jar once he got to the tower. Justin Hammer glanced his way.

"Thank you Mr. Thompson for that remark," Justin said looking at the next well known friend of the Stark family. Flash looked on innocently, whistling away as May clapped her hands in delight.

"You've just helped me with plan A," May said.

Hazel still had some leftover pebbles that Peter had a while ago and was about to throw some, but her father interfered. She passed them over with regret and Justin looks over to Rhodey.

"They're normally like this," the godfather of Hazel answered the unspoken question quietly.

"I see. Now, I'm no expert. I defer to you Tony." He said. "You made being a nerd cool, you even made being a parent cool."

"Senator, if I may. I may well not be an expert, but you know who was the expert? Your dad. Howard Stark."

"Really a father to us all, and to the military-industrial age. Let's just be clear, he was no flower child. He was a lion. We all know why we're here. In the last three years, Tony Stark has created a sword with untold possibilities. And yet, he insists it's a shield. Not only this, but he takes away Hazel's time to shine. Removing weapons, the poor young girl will never be able to step out of her father shadow like this."

"Oh, I'm perfectly fine with that," Hazel said. She frowned at the floor. "Now where did my eraser go?"

Justin Hammer ignored her.

"He asks us to trust him as we cower behind it. I wish I were comforted, Tony, I really do. I'd love to leave my door unlocked when I leave the house, but this ain't Canada. You know, we live in a world of grave threats, threats that Mr. Stark will not always be able to foresee. May I remind you of Ms. Stark nearly leaving us behind. Just because she was with her father."

"And now he has a power that is too much in the hands of a single person. It is a weapon, one that can-do great things if in the hands of the US Government and not some father that almost lost his daughter and his own life. Playing superhero. The days of the tales of Captain America saving us from the Nazis have long since passed. Superheroes were not here when we went to war time and time again against our enemies."

"Besides. How can we really trust him? We've seen this man break down before. What happens if Hazel does die?"

"I don't like people thinking about what if I die questions. It makes me uncomfortable," Hazel whispered to her father.

Tony didn't say anything he was tensed, the memory of almost losing his child was too close to home.

"What happens if he goes into a depression and Iron Man doesn't come out to save the day? What happens if he takes out his anger on the person who had done it and changes sides because of it? The Military are people you can trust. The Military has always been there. And the Military should be the one holding that power. Not a singular man. Thank you. God bless Iron Man, God bless America."

People started to clap, before their eyes turned to worry. Justin Hammer had just had a rock tossed at his face which had caused him to fall backwards onto his bottom, a light bruise forming on his head. He sits there dazed as he rubs as the mark and almost everyone turns to Tony. The father points at, May who was holding a bag of pebbles in her hand.

"I'm deeply sorry dear, but you shouldn't wish for someone's death. It's not very nice." May points out helpfully.

Somebody helped pick up Justin and walked him back to his seat, still dazed from the pebble hitting him.

"That was well said Mr Hammer." Stern said. "Do you need to be moved out of here, Mrs. Parker?"

"Of course not."

She tried her best to hide the fact that she placed a couple of stones on the ground where Hammer would need to step on. He tripped and landed on the ground again.

"See," Tony pointed out. "Pebbles are evil."

"The committee would now like to invite Lieutenant Colonel James Rhodes to the chamber," Stern said. "And can someone please take away those rocks from Mrs. Parker."

Somebody did but May didn't let them go easily. She put up a fight, slapping at the man trying to take the bag of rocks away. The bag rips in responds, May was quick enough to notice and let go of the bag, covering her eyes as they tossed around. Mainly hitting the man, that has only been trying to take an order.

"Evil." Tony hissed, pointing at the pebbles again.

Hazel taped her father shoulder in a sympathy way, Pepper brought some coffee over.

"Yes dad. It's alright, the evil pebbles are attacking someone else now."

Stern looked at Rhodey with concern in his eyes.

"He's got issues." he paused. "With pebble, I think Peter started it."

"Now, I have before me a complete report on the Iron Man weapon, complied by Colonel Rhodes. Colonel, for the record can you please read page 57, paragraph four?"

"You're requesting that I read specific selections from my report, Senator?" Rhodey asked in disbelief.

Hazel made herself comfortable, after giving up on finding her erases. She was going to take a nice nap.

"Yes sir," Stern smirked.

"It was to my understanding that I was going to be testifying in a much more comprehensive and detailed manner," Rhodey tries and Stark was sure they were going to twist his wording.

"I understand. A lot of things have changed today. So if you could just read-" Stern tried to pressure him.

Rhodey argued with him, but the man seemed dead set on Rhodey reading whatever was on page 57, paragraph four.

"Very well. 'As he does not operate within any definable branch of government, Iron Man presents a potential threat to the security of both the nation and to his interests.'," Rhodey read, "I did however, go on to summarise that the benefits of Iron Man far outweigh three liabilities and that it would be in our interest to fold Mr. Stark into the existing chain of command, Senator."

"I'd like to go on and show, if I may, the imagery that's connected to your report," Stern said, and Rhodey stopped him.

"I believe it is somewhat premature to reveal these images to the general public at this time," Rhodey argued, and when Stern pushed, he cued up the images on the screen. "Intelligence suggests that the devices seen in these photos are, in fact, attempts at making manned copies of Mr Stark's suit. This has been corroborated by our allies and local intelligence on the ground indicating that these suits are quite possibly, at this moment, operational."

"You're a wizard Harry," people looked at Hazel as she mumbled. "Wish I was a wizard. Wouldn't need to listen to a bunch of old men whine."

May had gone out of her way and placed a blanket over her. Gently lifting up her head and tucking a pillow underneath.

"She gets cold easily."

Nobody was willing to tell May that Hazel wasn't meant to be sleeping.


End file.
